Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
September 2010
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
27
Issue:
3

Social differences in tooth decay occurrence in a sample of children aged 3 to 5 in North-East Italy

Objective: To correlate the occurrence of tooth decay with a social class indicator (occupational level) and the immigrant status in a sample of pre-school children in Veneto region. Basic research design: Cross-sectional survey. Clinical setting: Twenty nursery schools in the area of Health District n.15. Participants: A total of 1,410 children aged 3 to 5 years old visited between September 2005–May 2006. Outcomes: Occurrence of dental caries into dentine threshold was made visually and confirmed with a probe when necessary by two calibrated examiners. Information on immigrant status and occupational level of parents was obtained by a questionnaire. Children were categorized as immigrant or non-immigrant on the basis of their mother’s country of origin. Means and standard deviation were calculated for continuous variables; for categorical variables the results were provided as proportions. Comparisons between groups were made using Pearson chi-square test. The association between caries occurrence and the independent variables gender, age, immigrant status and family social class was evaluated by means of a logistic regression model. Results: Caries occurrence was higher among children from lower social class families (1.7 ± 3.2) than among children from higher social class (0.8±2.1). The prevalence of dental caries in immigrant preschool children was significantly higher than in indigenous ones (15% vs 40%; p = 0.000) while the severity in immigrants was almost 4 times higher (2.2±3.6 vs 0.6±1.8). Conclusions: Our data on preschoolers confirm the worldwide literature shared statement that social class as well as immigration status are determinants of oral health.

Key words: Italian pre-school children, inequalities, socioeconomic factors, tooth decay experience

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
163
Page End
166
Authors
R.Ferro, C. Cecchin, A. Besostri, A. Olivieri, E. Stellini, S. Mazzoleni

Articles from this issue

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  1. Editorial - The challenges of designing and evaluating complex interventions
  2. 130
  3. 132

  1. Plaque, caries level and oral hygiene habits in young patients receiving orthodontic treatment
  2. 133
  3. 138

  1. The voice of the elderly in accepting alternative perspectives on oral health
  2. 139
  3. 144

  1. Social determinants of dental health services utilisation of Greek adults
  2. 145
  3. 150

  1. Oral health and treatment needs of institutionalized chronic psychiatric patients in Istanbul, Turkey.
  2. 151
  3. 157

  1. Barriers to oral health care amongst different social classes in India.
  2. 158
  3. 162

  1. Social differences in tooth decay occurrence in a sample of children aged 3 to 5 in North-East Italy
  2. 163
  3. 166

  1. Child oral health concerns amongst parents and primary care givers in a Sure Start Local Programme
  2. 167
  3. 171

  1. A 6-year longitudinal study of caries in teenagers and the effect of “dropouts” on the findings
  2. 172
  3. 177

  1. The dentist workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.
  2. 178
  3. 183

  1. The distribution of individual tooth impaction in general dental patients of Northern India
  2. 184
  3. 186

  1. Short Communication - Wheelchair-accessible dental offices in Nagasaki, Japan
  2. 187
  3. 190