Using Standardised International Oral Health-Related Datasets in 6 Countries

Oral diseases affect a significant proportion of the world's population, yet international comparisons involving oral health outcomes have often been limited due to differences in the way country-level primary data are collected. In response to this, the World Dental Federation (FDI) Oral Health Observatory project was launched with the goal of collecting and producing standardised international data on oral health across countries. The aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to examine associations between self-reported general health and a range of factors (sociodemographics, oral health-related behaviours, oral impacts, clinical variables) using these standardised international datasets.

Dentists within FDI member National Dental Associations who chose to take part in the project were selected using a multistage sampling method. The number of dentists in each cluster was set according to the proportion of the national population living in the area, and 50 patients per dentist were systematically approached to take part. Patients and dentists completed 2 separate questionnaires on a mobile app. Ordinal logistic regression (conducted in December 2022) was used to analyse the linked patient and dentist data from 6 countries: China (n = 2242); Colombia (n = 1029); India (n = 999); Italy (n = 711); Japan (n = 1271); and Lebanon (n = 798). Self-reported general health was the dependent variable, with age, sex, education, self-reported oral health-related behaviours, self-reported oral impacts, and clinical variables acting as the independent variables.

The results demonstrated a different pattern of associations in the different countries. Better self-reported general health was associated with degree-level education in all 6 countries and with reporting no oral impact and no sensitive teeth in 4 countries. Several country-specific patterns were also found, including the importance of tooth brushing in Colombia, periodontal health in Italy, and differing associations with sugary drinks consumption in India and Japan.

These descriptive findings provide a basis for further research and, importantly, for advocacy in identifying patient oral health care needs according to both person-reported and clinical aspects. This can facilitate optimisation of service provision and potentially influence policy and investments.