Table 2 Oral health profile of the study participants

How many natural teeth do you have?

No natural teeth

40

3.9

1–9 teeth

45

4.4

10–19 teeth

129

12.6

20 teeth or more

809

79.1

During the past 12 months, did your teeth or mouth cause any pain or discomfort?

Yes

623

61.1

Do you have any removable dentures? (n = 40)

A partial denture (Yes)

34

85.0

 A full upper denture (Yes)

3

7.5

 A full lower denture (Yes)

3

7.5

How would you describe the state of your ….

Very poor

Poor

Average

Good

Very good

Teeth

3.8

8.7

28.1

37.4

22.0

Gums

3.3

9.7

25.6

37.4

23.9

How often do you clean your teeth? (n = 1,023)

Never

64

6.3

Once a month

36

3.5

2–3 times a month

40

3.9

Once a week

63

6.2

2–6 times a week

97

9.5

Once a day

374

36.6

Twice or more a day

349

34.1

Do you use any of the following to clean your teeth? (n = 1,023)

Toothbrush

928

90.7

Wooden toothpicks

364

35.6

Plastic toothpicks

207

20.2

Thread (dental floss)

265

25.9

Charcoal

124

12.1

Chewstick/miswak

308

30.1

Do you use toothpaste to clean your teeth? (Yes) (n = 1,023)

951

93.0

Do you use a toothpaste that contains fluoride? (Yes) (n = 1,023)

633

61.9

How long is it since you last saw a dentist? (n = 1,023)

Less than 6 months

376

36.8

6–12 months

204

19.9

1–2 years

204

19.9

2–5 years

92

9.0

More than 5 years

147

14.4

What was the reason of your last visit to the dentist? (n = 1,023)

Consultation/advise

102

10.0

Pain or trouble with teeth, gums or mouth

371

36.3

Treatment/ follow-up treatment

219

21.4

Routine check-up/treatment

121

11.8

Don’t know/don’t remember

210

20.5

Because of the state of your teeth or mouth, how often have you experienced any of the following problems during the past 12 months?

Don’t know

No

Sometimes

Fairly often

Very often

Difficulty in biting foods

10.7

56.0

24.3

6.3

2.7

Difficulty chewing foods

7.3

61.1

22.7

6.4

2.5

Difficulty with speech/trouble pronouncing words

9.4

72.8

11.9

4.0

1.9

Dry mouth

9.3

58.3

24.3

5.4

2.7

Felt embarrassed due to appearance of teeth

7.2

62.9

19.7

5.9

4.3

Felt tense because of problems with teeth or mouth

7.6

61.6

21.9

4.9

4.0

Have avoided smiling because of teeth

5.1

66.1

17.8

6.8

4.2

Had sleep that is often interrupted

7.6

63.6

20.0

6.0

2.7

Have taken days off work

6.9

72.8

15.1

3.4

1.8

Difficulty doing usual activities

7.7

70.4

15.2

3.3

3.4

Felt less tolerant of spouse or people who are close to you

15.6

70.3

9.9

2.1

2.2

Have reduced participation in social activities

12.4

72.2

10.3

2.5

2.5

How often do you eat or drink any of the following foods, even in small quantities?

Seldom/never

Several times a month

Once a week

Several times a week

Every day

Several times a day

Fresh fruit

6.3

4.0

12.3

29.1

33.4

14.9

Biscuits, cakes, cream cakes

10.1

6.2

14.3

32.6

27.2

9.8

Sweet pies, buns

12.8

7.9

19.0

33.9

19.6

6.8

Jam or honey

31.4

12.5

18.5

20.9

12.4

4.3

Chewing gum containing sugar

25.0

8.7

14.5

20.5

20.9

10.4

Sweets/candy

13.8

12.5

18.8

28.9

19.6

6.5

Lemonade, Coca Cola or other soft drinks

19.9

8.2

13.9

24.1

23.8

10.1

Tea with sugar

20.6

5.5

10.3

17.8

29.3

16.5

Coffee with sugar

48.1

4.5

7.2

11.1

18.2

10.9

Never

Seldom

Several times a month

Once a week

Several times a week

Every day

Cigarettes

67.5

4.8

1.4

2.2

2.5

21.6

Cigars

81.1

7.4

2.0

2.2

2.5

4.7

 A pipe

59.9

9.9

5.3

6.5

6.4

12.0

E-cigarettes

72.8

6.9

2.8

3.2

3.9

10.3