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Inequalities in dental caries among 12‐year‐old C hinese children
Author(s) -
Shen Anqi,
Zeng Xiaojuan,
Cheng Min,
Tai Baojun,
Huang Ruizhe,
Bernabé Eduardo
Publication year - 2015
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.12091
Subject(s) - ethnic group , residence , socioeconomic status , demography , oral health , medicine , inequality , gerontology , dentistry , environmental health , population , mathematical analysis , mathematics , sociology , anthropology
Objective To explore whether there are socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographical inequalities in dental caries among 12‐year‐old C hinese children. Methods Data from 2,307 12‐year‐old children living in G uangxi, H ubei, J ilin, and S hanxi and who participated in the Third National Oral Health Survey in C hina were used for this study. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and clinical examinations with children. The decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth ( DMFT ) index and number of decayed teeth ( DT ) were the outcome measures for analysis. Inequalities in DMFT and DT by socioeconomic position (parental education), ethnicity, and geography (province of residence and urbanicity) were assessed in unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial regression models. Results Ethnicity and geographical factors, but not parental education, were significantly associated with childhood dental caries in unadjusted models. However, only geographical factors remained significantly related to dental caries after mutual adjustments. The DMFT index and DT were higher among children living in J ilin and G uangxi than those of children living in H ubei and S hanxi, and also higher among children living in rural areas than in those living in urban areas. Conclusion This analysis shows inequalities in dental caries among 12‐year‐old children in four provinces of C hina. There were considerable inequalities in children's DMFT and number of decayed teeth by geography but not by ethnicity or parental education.