Use and selection of oral-care products by Hong Kong housewives

Abstract

Objectives: 1) To describe the usage of oral care (hygiene) products among the Hong Kong housewives; and 2) to describe how the housewives select oral hygiene products and their perception of the most important features of good oral hygiene products. Methods: Housewives, aged 21 to 60 years, living in four selected public housing estates in Hong Kong were invited for a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised close- and open-ended questions designed to collect information on the housewives’ socio-econmic background, oral hygiene habits, and selection criteria for oral hygiene products.

Results: A total of 340 housewives participated in this study. Most (59%) of them had attended secondary school and only 4% had attained tertiary education level. Nearly all (99.7%) of the housewives brushed their teeth with a toothbrush daily and most (82%) brushed twice a day. However, the majority (88%) of the housewives did not use interdental brush and only 6% of them used dental floss daily. Only 12% of the housewives used mouthrinse at least once a day. Regarding how their criteria for good oral hygiene products, only 5% of the housewives considered both small brush head and soft bristle as the characteristics of a good toothbrush. Cleaning effectiveness, price, and band were the most important factors which affected the housewives’ purchase of oral hygiene products.

Conclusions: Most housewives in Hong Kong brush their teeth twice daily but proportionally few of them use interdental cleaning aids regularly. Only a small proportion of the housewives know how to choose oral hygiene products correctly.