We examined oral health behaviour and its association with school achievement among Finnish adolescents.

This
study is part of the Finnish national School Health Promotion study
(SHP). The study population comprised a representative sample of Finnish
15-year-olds (N = 45,877). A questionnaire inquired about the
respondents' school achievements and health habits (toothbrushing,
smoking), background factors (age, gender, school type, family
structure), and their parents' background factors (education, smoking).
Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used in the
statistical analyses.

Better school achievements
were associated with better oral health behaviour: 73.1% of students
with the highest mean grades (9-10) brushed their teeth twice daily,
compared to 33.8% of those with the lowest mean grade (6.9 or less). The
lowest mean grade was associated with brushing less than twice daily,
especially among boys (odds ratios (OR) = 4.1; 95% CI 3.6-4.7) when
compared to those with the highest mean grade, but also among girls (OR =
2.3; 95% CI 2.1-2.7). Smoking among boys was associated with poor oral
hygiene (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.2-1.4).

School
success is strongly associated with oral health behaviour among
adolescents. Preventive treatment should be targeted especially at boys
with poor school achievement and smoking behaviour.