Oral Health Behaviour in Adolescents

Health is a valuable asset not only for any individual but also for any country. Oral health like all health related conditions contributes to personal well being and quality of life. It plays a critical role in the pursuit of health and health promotion for each individual and the whole community. The maintenance of good oral health depends on the positive attitude toward oral health which in turn instills positive behaviour among the individuals. During various stages of development there are various changes in human beings which have an effect on their personality and which decide the future course of their life. As the child enters into teen years of life there are certain changes which occur in the body and these changes can be social biological or emotional and the child becomes somewhat less oriented toward his/her parents and more oriented toward his/her peers and peer pressure begins to escalate. They establish a sense of autonomy or independence and a sense of identity. During adolescence there is a movement away from the dependency typical of childhood toward the autonomy typical of adulthood. During this stage of life the peer pressure is more on the individual and