Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological states, self-rated oral health, and oral health behavior on hopelessness.
Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected between September and November 2006. The sample consisted of 233 Romanian adults (mean age 47.3 years; 65.6% women; 65.8% married). The questionnaire included information about demographic, psychological, self-reported oral health, and oral health related behavior items.
Results: 'Hopeless' participants were more likely to self-evaluate their dental health as poor/very poor (P<0.001), to be less satisfied by the appearance of their teeth (P<0.05), to report more non-treated caries (P<0.01), to brush their teeth less than twice per day (P<0.01), and never use mouthrinse (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed 'hopeless' participants were apt to have a lower educational level, brush less frequently, have higher financial problems as the reason for not visiting the dentist, and report higher anxiety (odds ratio = 5.4, 4.2, 2.6, and 12.6, respectively). Forty-seven (73.4%) of 64 'hopeless' participants and 90 (80.4%) of 112 'non-hopeless' participants were correctly predicted by the above four variables.
Conclusion: The results of this study found impaired oral health and financial problems may pose an increased risk for hopelessness.
Clinical significance: Poor oral health can be regarded as a risk marker for the level of hopelessness.