Journal
CARIES RESEARCH
Volume 37, Issue 2, Pages 130-141Publisher
KARGER
DOI: 10.1159/000069021
Keywords
caries experience; adolescents; explanatory role; fluoride; socio-economic factors; structural factors
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This investigation sought to estimate the influence a number of variables had on the inter-municipality variation in caries experience across Denmark. Unit of measurement was the municipality with public clinics. Mean DMF-S and %DMF-S = 0 of 15- and 18-year-olds in 1999 were obtained from 204 and 143 municipalities, respectively, out of a total number of 206 municipalities with public clinics. The independent variables were: cost per child per year; children/dentist ratio; auxiliary personal/dentist ratio; fluoride concentration in the water supply [F]; average personal income; % of mothers of the 15 and 18-year-olds with :5 10 years education (EDU-15 or EDU-18); proportion of immigrants; and size of the municipality. Multiple regression analyses disclosed that [F] (p < 0.001) and EDU-15 (p < 0.001) were significant variables among the 15-year-olds explaining 45% of the variation in mean DMF-S and 31 % of the variation in % DMF-S = 0. With respect to the 18-year-olds, [F] (p < 0.001) and average personal income (p < 0.001) explained 53% of the variation in mean DMF-S and 30% of the variation in %DMF-S = 0. Few municipalities were characterized as outliers with significantly lower or higher observed caries experience than expected. It is concluded that there is room for other explanatory factors-first and foremost the professional effort made in the individual Public Dental Health Service to control caries. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available