Self-reported oral health and dental service-use of rangatahi within the rohe of Tainui.

Objectives: To investigate the self-reported oral health and use of oral health services by rangatahi (teenagers) residing within the Waikato rohe (region) of the Waikato-Tainui tribal area.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of self-reported oral health and use of dental services by Māori teenagers. The 14-item short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to collect data on oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Results: Just over half of the 238 survey participants (who were aged 16 to 18 years old) were male. Most brushed at least once daily. One-quarter reported hiding their smile, and just over one-fifth reported suffering from bad breath. Awareness of their current entitlement to free dental care was high, but it was lower among males. Just over one-third of participants had experienced one or more OHIP-14 impacts; that was higher among females than males, with the largest difference being apparent with the physical disability subscale, where the prevalence of impacts among females was twice that among males. The prevalence of OHIP impacts was higher among those who reported experiencing bad breath often, and significant differences were observed in all seven OHIP domains (as well as in the mean overall OHIP-14 score and in the mean number of different impacts experienced often).

Conclusions: The data provide some important insghts into the oral health perceptions and concerns of young Māori.