Personality traits, oral health beliefs, and periodontal parameters in patients with periodontitis

Objectives: Recognizing the construct of the Big Five personality factors with health beliefs could help in better evaluation of distinctive factors that may impact a patient’s behavioral responses with reference to compliance to primary and secondary preventive measures in periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to explore association among the personality traits, oral health beliefs, and periodontal parameters in patients with periodontitis.
Method and materials: The present single-centered, cross-sectional study consisted of 118 systemically healthy participants with generalized periodontitis stage II and III with grade B. The neuroticism-extraversion-openness five-factor inventory 3 (NEO-FFI-3) instrument was applied to assess personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). The oral health belief questionnaire was administered to determine five oral health beliefs, namely perceived seriousness (PS), benefit of preventative practices (BPP), benefit of plaque control (BPC), efficacy of clinicians (EC), and perceived importance (I).
Results: Spearman correlation analysis revealed that BPP and BPC were inversely correlated with neuroticism. Extraversion was positively correlated with the personality traits openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, whereas it was inversely correlated with neuroticism. Binomial logistic regression showed that the predictor “very low” and “low” levels of conscientiousness were positive and significant for clinical attachment loss ≥ 4.89 mm (b = 1.90 and 1.55; standard error = 0.70 and 0.72, P = .007 and .033), with odds ratios of 6.73 (95% CI 1.68 to 26.95) and 4.75 (95% CI 1.13 to 19.83).
Conclusion: The intensity of an individual’s perception of the benefits of clinicians achieving dental health is directly correlated with levels of conscientiousness. Trends of higher odds ratios for clinical attachment loss were observed with decreasing levels of conscientiousness. (Quintessence Int 2023;54:200–208; doi: 10.3290/j.qi.b3648947)