Association between self‐reported and clinical oral health status in Belarusian adults

Aim The aims of the present study were to determine characteristics of self‐perception of oral health, and to investigate associations between self‐reported status and clinical oral health status among Belarusian adults. Methods A cross‐sectional study, including a questionnaire survey and oral health examination, was conducted among 281 dental patients. Results Of the participants, 74% were women; the mean ages of female and male participants were 35.9 ± 12.3 and 28.0 ± 10.3 years (P < 0.001), respectively. More than half of the participants (58%) described their oral health as negative. The number of decayed teeth (P < 0.001), missing teeth (P < 0.001), and teeth with bleeding on probing (P < 0.01) and deep periodontal pockets (P < 0.001) were significantly higher among participants who described their oral health as negative compared to their counterparts. Participants with better agreement between self‐reported and clinical number of teeth had significantly lower numbers of decayed and missing teeth (P < 0.01). There was a significant relationship between participants' self‐reported periodontal status and number of teeth with bleeding on probing and deep periodontal pockets (P < 0.05). Conclusions Self‐perceived oral health was significantly associated with clinical oral health status in this study. Self‐reporting methods could be useful for population‐based oral health surveys in Belarus.