Impact of Health Locus of Control on Oral Health Status among a Cohort of IT Professionals

Purpose: To assess the relationship between health locus of control and oral health status among Information Technology (IT) professionals in Hyderabad, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was carried out among IT employees in Hyderabad city. The behaviour, attitude and perceptions of individuals towards health were assessed using the multidimensional health locus of control scale. Oral health status was evaluated clinically utilising the simplified oral hygiene index, community periodontal index, and loss of attachment index. Data were statistically analysed using SPSS software (v 21.0). Results: A convenience sample of 989 employees (response rate of 82.4%, mean age 26.3 ± 5.0 years) completed the questionnaire. The overall highest mean domain score was recorded for 'chance locus of control' (CLOC; 9.0 ± 2.1) and lowest overall mean domain score for 'internal locus of control' (ILOC; 6.7 ± 0.9). The overall mean scores of DI-S, CI-S and OHI-S were 0.7 ± 0.4, 0.7 ± 0.5 and 1.4 ± 0.8, respectively; there was an inverse relation with age groups. The mean CPI and LOA scores observed among males, ranging from 0.4 ± 0.6 to 1.6 ± 1.1, were statistically significantly higher than those of females, ranging from 0.2 ± 0.5 to 1.3 ± 1.2 (p = 0.00). Powerful locus of control had a statistically significant negative correlation with oral hygiene indices. In contrast, a positive correlation was observed between ILOC and DI-S and OHI-S (r = 0.0672 and r = 0.0639, respectively). Conclusion: This study highlighted that people with a positive attitude regulate their health behaviour and maintain good oral hygiene. Keywords: health behaviour, locus of control, oral hygiene, periodontal health