Determinants of Dental Health Behaviors of Iranian Students Based on the Health Belief Model (HBM)

Abstract

Background: Several factors affect oral and dental hygiene and therefore general health. Objectives: This study used the health belief model (HBM) to explore factors influencing dental health behaviors of students in Teheran, Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The participants were 400 male high-school students in district 5 in Tehran selected through multistage stratified random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data, which included the following measures of the HBM: perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy. A multiple regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation were run to detect potential correlations between the independent variables and dependent variable. Results: All 400 students completed the study. The results of the linear regression analysis showed that perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action accounted for the highest percent of total variance observed in dental health behaviors. The total HBM constructs and demographic variables explained 29% of the variance in dental health behaviors. Conclusions: The current study provides evidence that oral and dental hygiene can be promoted by reducing perceived barriers and enhancing oral and dental hygiene self-efficacy.