Comparison of United States and Korean dental hygiene students using the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI)

Objective: To compare cross-national differences of dental health behaviour among dental hygiene students. Design: Cross-cultural differences. Setting: United States (USA) and Korea. Subjects and methods: One hundred and twenty-six dental hygiene students in USA and 246 in Korea were surveyed using the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) (in English and Korean versions respectively). Results: There were considerable differences in oral health behaviour between USA and Korean dental hygiene students. Of great significance were findings that while only a small proportion of the USA students (1%) reported gum bleeding when they brushed their teeth, 37% of the Korean students did so (P<0.001). Furthermore, only 19% of the Korean students had been told by their dentist that they were performing a high level of plaque control, contrasted with 76% of the USA students. Logistic regression model showed that it was possible to distinguish USA students from Korean peers with a probability of more than 90% by using the HU-DBI. Conclusions: There were considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among dental hygiene students in the two countries. The variation in the favourable attitudes/behaviour toward oral health appeared to reflect the students' clinical training experience in Korea.