Oral infections and cardiovascular diseases share common biological and behavioral risk factors. Psychosocial determinants could act as a link between general health behavior and dental health behavior. Our objective was to study optimism and life satisfaction as determinants of general and dental health behavior and to evaluate whether these are connected with cardiovascular risk factors and dental diseases. The 1966 Northern Finland Birth Cohort (N = 12,058) is a general population birth cohort. In a postal questionnaire, respondents (N = 8690) were asked about their health behavior and dental status. Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed in health examinations (N = 6033). Generalized linear regression models were used in analysis. The results showed that health orientation increases with strengthening life satisfaction and optimism. Dental health behavior and general health behavior were associated with both cardiovascular risk factors and self-reported dental diseases, which support the assumption that they share a common behavioral background.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Antonovsky A -1993-. The structure and properties of the sense of coherence scale. Soc Sci Med36:725–733.
2.
Axelsson G, Helgadottir S -1995-. Comparison of oral health data from self-administered questionnaire and clinical examination. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol23:365–368.
3.
Beck J, Garcia R, Heiss G, Vokonas PS, Offenbacher S -1996-. Periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. J Periodontol67-Suppl 10-:1123–1137.
4.
Beck JD, Slade G, Offenbacher S -2000-. Oral disease, cardiovascular disease and systemic inflammation. Periodontol 200023:110–120.
5.
Brennan FX, Charnetski CJ -2000-. Explanatory style and immunoglobulin A -IgA-. Integr Physiol Behav Sci35:251–255.
6.
Cutler CW, Shinedling EA, Nunn M, Jotwani R, Kim BO, Nares S, et al. -1999-. Association between periodontitis and hyperlipidemia: cause or effect? J Periodontol70:1429–1434.
7.
DeStefano F, Anda RF, Kahn HS, Williamson DF, Russell CM -1993-. Dental disease and risk of coronary heart disease and mortality. BMJ306:688–691.
8.
Edgar L, Remmer J, Rosberger Z, Fournier MA -2000-. Resource use in women completing treatment for breast cancer. Psychooncology9:428–438.
9.
Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults -Adult Treatment Panel III- -2001-. Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program -NCEP-. J Am Med Assoc285:2486–2497.
10.
Friedman LC, Nelson DV, Webb JA, Hoffman LP, Baer PE -1994-. Dispositional optimism, self-efficacy, and health beliefs as predictors of breast self-examination. Am J Prev Med10:130–135.
11.
Green BH, Copeland JR, Dewey ME, Sharma V, Saunders PA, Davidson IA, et al. -1992-. Risk factors for depression in elderly people: a prospective study. Acta Psychiatr Scand86:213–217.
12.
Hujoel PP, Drangsholt M, Spiekerman C, DeRouen TA -2001-. Examining the link between coronary heart disease and the elimination of chronic dental infections. J Am Dent Assoc132:883–889.
13.
Joshipura KJ, Rimm EB, Douglass CW, Trichopoulos D, Ascherio A, Willett WC -1996-. Poor oral health and coronary heart disease. J Dent Res75:1631–1636.
14.
Kamen-Siegel L, Rodin J, Seligman ME, Dwyer J -1991-. Explanatory style and cell-mediated immunity in elderly men and women. Health Psychol10:229–235.
15.
Katz J, Chaushu G, Sharabi Y -2001-. On the association between hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease and severe periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol28:865–868.
16.
Kawamura M, Tsurumoto A, Fukuda S, Sasahara H -2001-. Health behaviors and their relation to metabolic control and periodontal status in type 2 diabetic patients: a model tested using a linear structural relations program. J Periodontol72:1246–1253.
17.
King KB, Rowe MA, Kimble LP, Zerwic JJ -1998-. Optimism, coping and long-term recovery from coronary artery surgery in women. Res Nurs Health21:15–26.
18.
Koivumaa-Honkanen H-T -1998-. Life satisfaction as a health predictor -dissertation-. Kuopio University Publications D. Medical Sciences 143. Kuopio, Finland: University of Kuopio.
19.
Koivumaa-Honkanen H, Honkanen R, Viinamäki H, Heikkilä K, Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M -2000-. Self-reported life satisfaction and 0-year mortality in healthy Finnish adults. Am J Epidemiol152:983–991.
20.
Lin EH, Peterson C -1990-. Pessimistic explanatory style and response to illness. Behav Res Ther28:243–248.
21.
Lutgendorf SK, Vitaliano PP, Tripp-Reimer T, Harvey JH, Lubaroff DM -1999-. Sense of coherence moderates the relationship between life stress and natural killer cell activity in healthy older adults. Psychol Aging14:552–563.
22.
Payne BJ, Locker D -1996-. Relationship between dental and general health behaviors in a Canadian population. J Public Health Dent56:198–204.
23.
Rantakallio P -1988-. The longitudinal study of the Northern Finland birth cohort of 1966. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol2:59–88.
24.
Saito T, Shimazaki Y, Koga T, Tsuzuki M, Ohshima A -2001-. Relationship between upper body obesity and periodontitis. J Dent Res80:1631–1636.
25.
Sakki TK, Knuuttila ML, Vimpari SS, Kivelä SL -1994-. Lifestyle, dental caries and number of teeth. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol22:298–302.
26.
Sakki TK, Knuuttila ML, Vimpari SS, Hartikainen MS -1995-. Association of lifestyle with periodontal health. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol23:155–158.
27.
Sakki TK, Knuuttila ML, Anttila SS -1998-. Lifestyle, gender and occupational status as determinants of dental health behavior. J Clin Periodontol25:566–570.
28.
Scheier MF, Carver CS -1985-. Optimism, coping and health: assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychol4:219–247.
29.
Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW -1994-. Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism -and trait anxiety, self-mastery and self-esteem-: a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol67:1063–1078.
30.
Schwarzer R -1994-. Optimism, vulnerability, and self-beliefs as health-related cognitions: a systematic overview. Psychol Health9:161–180.
31.
Segerstrom SC, Taylor SE, Kemeny ME, Fahey JL -1998-. Optimism is associated with mood, coping, and immune change in response to stress. J Pers Soc Psychol74:1646–1655.
32.
Smith SC Jr, Blair SN, Bonow RO, Brass LM, Cerqueira MD, Dracup K, et al. -2001-. AHA/ACC scientific statement: AHA/ACC guidelines for preventing heart attack and death in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: 2001 update: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Circulation104:1577–1579.
33.
Syrjälä AM, Kneckt MC, Knuuttila ML -1999-. Dental self-efficacy as a determinant in oral health behaviour, oral hygiene and HbA1c level among diabetic patients. J Clin Periodontol26:616–621.
