In China, significant differences exist between urban and rural populations in terms of oral hygiene practices and access to oral care. Results of a study published in the International Dental Journal in 2005 revealed that regular tooth brushing was three times more frequent in urban than in rural areas.
There are also a limited number of oral health professionals to serve the population: the dentist to population ratio is 1:100,000. As expected, the use of oral health services is somewhat lower in rural than urban areas, with significantly more rural participants having never seen a dentist during their lifetime. Due to the limited availability of dentists, most people have a symptomatic, rather than preventive, approach to dental care. The most frequently cited reasons for dental visits are toothache, need for tooth extraction, and prosthetic treatment.
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