Table 1.
Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of 224 individuals with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and 224 controls, aged 4–16 years
| Variable | Individuals with JIA (n = 224) | Control group (n = 224) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational level of caregivers, n (%) | |||
| Mother | |||
| High school/vocational school | 75 (35.4) | 54 (26.1) | 0.04 |
| University/college | 137 (64.6) | 153 (73.9) | |
| Father | |||
| High school/vocational school | 121 (57.9) | 87 (42.6) | < 0.01 |
| University/college | 88 (42.1) | 117 (57.4) | |
| Share household with, n (%) | |||
| Two caregivers in the household* | 172 (79.6) | 187 (84.2) | 0.21 |
| Only one caregiver in the household | 44 (20.4) | 35 (15.8) | |
| Frequency of toothbrushing, n (%) | |||
| Once a day or less/do not know | 51 (23.6) | 49 (22.2) | 0.72 |
| Twice a day, or more | 165 (76.4) | 172 (77.8) | |
| Frequency of tooth flossing during the last 3 months, n (%) | |||
| Daily or more | 19 (8.8) | 19 (8.6) | 0.94 |
| Several times weekly or less/do not know | 196 (91.2) | 201 (91.4) | |
| Toothpaste, n (%) | |||
| Fluoride toothpaste | 204 (94.4) | 212 (96.4) | 0.34 |
| Fluoride-free toothpaste /do not know | 12 (5.6) | 8 (3.6) | |
| During toothbrushing, gingival bleeding occurs, n (%) | |||
| Sometimes or more/do not know | 122 (57.3) | 103 (46.6) | 0.03 |
| Never | 91 (42.7) | 118 (53.4) | |
| During toothbrushing, pain or discomfort occurs, n (%) | |||
| Yes/do not know | 25 (11.7) | 22 (10.0) | 0.55 |
| No | 188 (88.3) | 199 (90.0) | |
*Also includes living across two households, given two caregivers in both households. Some participants did not respond to the questionnaires. Chi-squared test level of significance p < 0.05