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Inequality in dental caries distribution at noncavitated and cavitated thresholds in preschool children
Author(s) -
Piovesan Chaiana,
Tomazoni Fernanda,
Del Fabro Joana,
Buzzati Bruna Cássia Schmidt,
Mendes Fausto Medeiros,
Antunes José Leopoldo Ferreira,
Ardenghi Thiago Machado
Publication year - 2013
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/jphd.12035
Subject(s) - dentistry , medicine , inequality , early childhood caries , orthodontics , oral health , mathematics , mathematical analysis
Objective To evaluate the inequality in dental caries distribution according to different thresholds assessed using the I nternational C aries D etection and A ssessment S ystem ( ICDAS ) and to investigate the associations of socioeconomic factors with caries lesions at both noncavitated and cavitated thresholds. Methods Study subjects were recruited in S anta M aria, B razil, during the N ational D ay of C hildren's V accination, and 639 children aged 12–59 months were included. Fifteen calibrated examiners performed the examinations using ICDAS criteria. Inequality in dental caries distribution was measured using the G ini coefficient, and the S ignificant C aries I ndex was calculated for several thresholds of ICDAS . Poisson regression analysis was used to assess the associations of socioeconomic factors with the highest caries scores. Results The inequality in the distribution of dental caries was lower when precavitated caries were included; the G ini coefficient decreased from 0.77 to 0.60 when noncavitated caries lesions were included in the analyses. Moreover, the inequalities were higher in the younger than in the older children for all thresholds. Socioeconomic factors were significantly ( P < 0.001) associated with caries when an ICDAS score of 3 was considered as the cut‐off point. Children whose mothers did not complete primary education ( P < 0.001) and those with low household income ( P < 0.001) were more likely to have increased dental caries. Conclusion Caries lesions were more equally distributed when noncavitated lesions were included in the dental survey. Socioeconomic factors are found to be associated with the inequalities in caries distribution in this age group.