Self-perceived oral health and associated factors among adults in Germany. Results from GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS

Information on the oral health of the population is important for the assessment of (preventable) disease burden, for the estimation and planning of health resources and costs, and for the evaluation of health inequalities. The aim of this work is to investigate for the first time self-perceived oral health, including associated factors, based on data from a nationally representative sample for the adult population in Germany. The data basis is the nationwide German Health Update study (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS, n = 22,708 aged 18 years and older). In the telephone interview, the participants were asked how they would describe the state of their teeth and gums - "very good," "good," "fair," "bad," or "very bad." Sociodemographic, behavioral, and dental characteristics are examined as associated factors. Prevalences and results of multivariate binary logistic regressions (odds ratios, OR) are reported. Of the participants, 71.4% perceived their oral health as very good or good, 28.6% as fair to very bad. Difficulty in chewing and biting on hard foods (OR 4.0), unmet dental care needs (OR 2.3), male gender (OR 1.5), and not consuming fruits and vegetables daily (OR 1.2) were the most important associated factors for fair to very bad self-perceived oral health; for men, low education (OR 2,1), daily smoking (OR 1.6) and not receiving dental care annually (OR 1.4) were also important. From the results, starting points for promoting oral health can be derived.