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. 2025 Jan 24:13:e18842.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.18842. eCollection 2025.

The correlation of region-specific lifestyle and subjective perception of oral health with oral health-related quality of life among Tibetan early adolescents in Ganzi: a cross-sectional study

Shaoying Duan #  1 , Renjie Tang #  1 , Chenchen Zhang  1 , Qianqian Su  1 , Huiyu Yang  1 , He Cai  1 , Tao Hu  1
Affiliations

The correlation of region-specific lifestyle and subjective perception of oral health with oral health-related quality of life among Tibetan early adolescents in Ganzi: a cross-sectional study

Shaoying Duan et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: The oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Tibetan adolescents has been largely overlooked.

Aim: This cross-sectional study examined the association of region-specific lifestyle, subjective perception, and clinician conditions of oral health with Tibetan adolescents' OHRQoL in Ganzi, Sichuan.

Methods: The OHRQoL was measured using standardized Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (sC-OIDP) scores. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the association between region-specific lifestyle, subjective perception of oral health, clinician oral health conditions (gingival bleeding on probing (BOP), dental calculus (DC), and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT)), and OHRQoL.

Results: In total, 485 Tibetan adolescents were included. In relation to region-specific lifestyle, the factors associated with poorer OHRQoL were residence altitude of 3,300 m (compared to 1,400 m), buttered tea consumption by adolescents or mother, and being a boarding student. Regarding the subjective perception of oral health, adolescents that rated bad or very bad oral health or self-reported dental pain had poorer OHRQoL. Interestingly, clinician oral health conditions were not related to OHRQoL.

Conclusions: This study underscores the relationship between region-specific lifestyle, subjective oral health perceptions, and OHRQoL among Tibetan adolescents. Addressing these factors through tailored health initiatives can play a pivotal role in improving oral health outcomes and overall quality of life in remote regions like Ganzi. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to better understand the causality and long-term impact of targeted interventions.

Keywords: Adolescents; Cross-sectional study; Ethnic minority; OHRQoL.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Directed acyclic graphic depicting the association between exposure and oral health-related quality of life.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Frequency distribution of three domains and eight items of oral impact performance.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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