THE RELATIONSHIP OF HEALTH BELIEFS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MOOD TO PATIENT ADHERENCE TO ORAL HYGIENE BEHAVIOR

Patient adherence to oral hygiene instructions (compliance) is importa nt for the success of periodontal treatment. However, there are many d ifferent definitions and measures of what constitute patient adherence . Also, many different models of patient behaviour have been studied, with inconsistent or conflicting findings. The purpose of this study w as to explore the relationships between health beliefs (three aspects of dental health locus of control, health values and adherence intent) , psychological mood and periodontal outcomes. Complete periodontal da ta were obtained for 47 untreated patients prior to instruction in ora l hygiene, and again 4-6 weeks later. Psychological variables were mea sured by questionnnaire and adherence was measured by reductions in cl inical variables (plaque and inflammation). Data were analysed using a n item analysis of the questionnaire to assess the internal consistenc y of the subscales. The results showed overall stability in the psycho logical variables and reductions in the clinical variables. The main r esult was a series of negative associations between plaque scores and adherence intent. Inflammatory variables showed some association with psychological constructs related to dependence on external factors.