The relationship among educational achievement, career aspiration, and oral hygiene behaviours in Iranian adolescents

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to examine: (i) the association between toothbrushing frequency and educational achievement; (ii) the influence of social status and career aspiration on this association; and (iii) whether educational achievement and career aspiration explain the gender difference in oral hygiene behaviours in Iranian adolescents in Mashhad. The sample population was sixth-grade adolescents in Mashhad, Iran. Participants completed a 37-item questionnaire with questions on socio-demographic variables, frequency of toothbrushing, educational achievement, and their career aspiration. The associations between toothbrushing frequency and other study-outcome variables were tested using binary logistic regression. The association between toothbrushing frequency and educational achievement was significant only after adjusting for the father's level of education and the child's career aspiration. Toothbrushing frequency was highly significantly associated with gender, and this association remained unaltered after adjusting for educational achievement and career aspiration. Career aspiration and toothbrushing frequency were significantly associated. In conclusion, educational achievement was not an independent indicator of reported toothbrushing frequency in Iranian adolescents in Mashhad. Father's educational level and child's career aspiration mediated the association between toothbrushing frequency and educational achievement. Educational achievement and career aspiration did not explain the gender difference in toothbrushing behaviours of Iranian adolescents.