Lifestyle and Oral Health

Lifestyle is linked with clinically measured oral health. Lifestyle, as measured by smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits and physical activity, which are cardiovascular risk factors, is associated with dental caries, periodontal health and denture stomatitis. Lifestyle is related with some, but not all, of the background or predisposing factors of oral diseases. Lifestyle explains a great part of the differences in oral health between socioeconomic groups and between males and females. Lifestyle may be an indispensable explanatory factor connecting oral and general health. Hence, controlling lifestyle is of atmost importance when studying the biological influences of oral health on general health. Likewise, when studying the exclusive effect of smoking on oral diseases, one should consider the general lifestyle as a confounder. Lifestyle is associated with the oral cleaning habits, but not with the dental visiting habit. The impacts of a health-oriented lifestyle on discrete dental health behaviors may differ in magnitude. Some dental health behaviors seem to be promoted by motives other than merely health. People working in the field of health education should bear in mind