Socioeconomic inequalities tied to severity of dental caries in primary dentition
Researchers have noted that the underlying socioeconomic inequalities explained the association between prevalence and severity of dental caries in primary dentition and source of drinking water.
The study is published in the Journal of Dentistry.
Helena Silveira Schuch and colleagues from the Graduate Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil conducted the present study to evaluate the association between source of drinking water and dental caries at age 5 and to test whether socioeconomic conditions act as confounding factors in such association.
The study was carried out in a sub-sample of the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort, which comprised the application of a questionnaire and clinical oral examination. 1,084 children were evaluated and had complete information in all variables (83.2 % of the targeted sample). The exposure was source of drinking water, collected through a question to the primary caregiver.
The outcome was dental caries in primary dentition, measured through several standardized indicators of the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (dmft), assessing past and present dental caries. Socioeconomic indicators (family income and maternal education) were identified as potential confounding factors. After descriptive analysis, the association between source of water and measures of dental caries was assessed by Regression models.
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