Most investigators suggest that from the above mentioned constructs; perceived barriers and
self-efficacy are the most important constructs that could predict a health behavior [11-15].
Yet, fewer investigators suggest that perceived barriers is not a significant construct in
predicting health behaviors [16,17]. However, there is evidence that perceived severity of
oral diseases is associated with increased tooth brushing frequency or oral health behavior
[13,16-18]. The combination of perceived severity and perceived susceptibility is usually
named as perceived threat. It has a great relevance to many health behaviors [19]. Thus we
were interested to investigate more on this construct in order to contribute to the literature on
the topic. In particular we thought to examine whether perceived severity is associated with
tooth brushing behavior among young adolescents, and if this is the case then to investigate
about its components to better understand the issue.