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The Geodemographic Distribution of Caries Experience in Neighboring Fluoridated and Nonfluoridated Populations
Author(s) -
Tickle Martin,
Milsom Keith M.,
Jenner Tony M.,
Blinkhom Anthony S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2003.tb03481.x
Subject(s) - confounding , dentistry , medicine , lorenz curve , demography , geography , environmental health , inequality , gini coefficient , mathematics , pathology , sociology , mathematical analysis , economic inequality
Objective : This study compares the geodemographic distribution of caries experience in neighboring fluoridated and nonfluoridated populations. Methods : All 5‐year‐old children living in fluoridated (N=1,422) and nonfluoridated (H=4,779) areas of Cheshire, UK, were examined by trained and calibrated examiners. The Target Market level of the Super Profiles geodemographic classification was used to produce market penetration ranking reports for caries experience. The same area types were compared in fluoridated and nonfluoridated populations. Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients were generated from the outputs of the penetration rankings. Results : There was a 12.4 percent difference in prevalence and a 29.4 percent difference in dmft between fluoridated (dmft>0=32.4%, dmft‐1.01) and nonfluoridated (dmft>0=37.0%, dmft=1.43) areas. The area types at the top of both penetration rankings were deprived in nature and those at the bottom were affluent. The Gini coefficients in each area were 22.7 and 23.7percent. Conclusions : The results demonstrate that water fluoridation is effective at preventing dental disease after controlling for confounding factors, in both populations the majority of disease was not confined to a smalt number of deprived area types. This undermines the contention that a targeted approach to caries prevention is a practical option.