Oral health status of Chinese residents and suggestions for prevention and treatment strategies

Abstract Objective To understand the oral health status of urban and rural residents in China, the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey (FNOHES) was conducted in 2015. Materials and methods Based on the principles of multi-stage, stratified, equal capacity, and random sampling, the subjects included five groups of residents aged 3–5, 12–15, 35–44, 55–64, and 65–74 years in all 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions except Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The total sample size was 172,425. The survey covered two areas, namely oral health status and knowledge, attitude and oral health behavior. Results Residents in China had serious caries and poor periodontal condition. The prevalence of caries was above 50% in all age groups, subjects without periodontal disease accounted for Conclusion The oral health status of Chinese residents and their oral health behavior habits need to be improved. With the support of the administrative departments of the government and unremitting efforts of the oral health staff, all sectors of society must be coordinated to strengthen oral health education for the whole population. Furthermore, comprehensive prevention and control measures must be implemented for priority groups.