Relationship between dental caries and socio-economic factors in adolescents

Abstract

Dental caries has a multifactorial etiology, including socio-economic variables and access to dental care, which were discussed in the national survey conducted in 2002. The aim of this study was to investigate the socio-economic aspects and access to dental care, associated with caries prevalence and severity in adolescents from the State of São Paulo. The study design was cross-sectional, on which data on 1,825 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years achieved from the data of an epidemiological survey conducted in the State of São Paulo in 2002 were analyzed. Epidemiological exams and interviews with previously formulated questions were used in the survey. The Significant Caries Index (SiC Index) was utilized to determine the group with higher caries experience. Frequency distribution and chi-square association tests were carried out in order to evaluate the relationship between independent variables and the dependent variable (DMFT). Confidence intervals and odds ratio (OR) were estimated. The risk factors pointed as indicators of presence of dental caries were as follows: not being a student, studying at public schools, family income lower than 5 Brazilian minimum wages. Moreover, not having an own house or a car seemed to contribute to caries experience. With regard to the access to public dental care, the adolescents assisted at public centers and looking for emergency dental care had the higher caries experience. Thus, the results showed that social deprivation is associated with caries experience in adolescents from the State of São Paulo.

Association between dental caries experience and sense of coherence among adolescents and mothers

“…Adolescents from families with lower socioeconomic status had approximately 50% more dental caries experience than those from families with higher socioeconomic status. This result is consistent with previous studies and highlights the impact of social determinants in the development of oral diseases. The association between socioeconomic status and dental caries can also reinforce the results related to SOC.…”

Factors associated with the development of dental caries in children and adolescents in studies employing the life course approach: a systematic review

“…Sociodemographic factors related to dental caries, among other items, include schooling , household income , social class, and area of residence . In general, unfavorable sociodemographic status is related to a higher dental caries experience among children and adolescents . Indeed, children and adolescents who are growing up in poverty and social deprivation are at higher risk for dental caries .…”

Social aspects of dental caries in the context of mother-child pairs

“…Several studies have identified an association between oral health and socioeconomic variables such as family income 9,12,20 , educational level 12,22 , delay and disruption of the education of the child 7 and social class 16,23,33 , in various locations including Australia 17 , New Zealand 28 , Jordan 29 , Japan 31 , Sweden 19 , the UK 10 and Brazil 8,11,27,30 .…”

“…Numerous studies have addressed the correlation between oral health and social factors such as income, education, number of children, and other variables 12,16,21,22,25,31 . The national surveys conducted in Brazil in 2000 and 2010 showed that oral health is heterogenous, with differences found among regions and social groups.…”