Does Spiritual Health Contribute To The Oral Health Behaviors in Adolescents?

Abstract

In a search for any correlation between spiritual health and oral health among adolescents, a cross-sectional study was performed. Junior high school students from three cities in Iran, were selected by multi-stage random sampling. They answered a questionnaire including questions on oral health-related behaviors and spiritual health. Majority of the students reported close ties with God. From 20–120, the mean score of spiritual health in these students was 94.29 (± 15.38). Students with higher spiritual health scores more frequently reported acceptable level of brushing, dental visit, and no smoking (p < 0.01). This indicates the significance of spiritual health in achieving healthy behaviors.