Because the promotion of healthier life styles has become a public health issue of increasing interest, a survey was conducted to compare levels of preventive oral and general health behaviors.
A randomly selected population of voters aged 19 years and older living in a multicultural suburb of metropolitan Toronto, Canada, participated in a mail survey.
Dentate respondents (n = 976) reported high optimal levels for at least daily toothbrushing (96%); moderate levels of preventive yearly dental examination (69%); and low levels for flossing (22%), using an interdental device (25%), not snacking between meals (12%), and consuming fewer than two cariogenic foods on the previous day (26%). For the general health behaviors, the majority did not smoke (75%), had low alcohol intake (89%), used seat belts (69%), and exercised three times weekly (50%). Additive indices for the oral and general health behaviors were significantly, although weakly, correlated (r = 13; P