Some social correlates with the dental health of young children.
A socio-dental investigation was carried out among 405 five-year-old school children living in a predominantly rural area of West Wales. Information was gathered from a clinical examination of the children and a questionnaire to their parents. The replies to the questionnaires were then cross-tabulated with the clinical findings. The results indicated that lower dmft values were positively associated with household ownership of a telephone and a car and a higher educational attainment by mothers. Mothers with a high level of anxiety about a dental visit and an expectation of eventual edentulousness tended to be the parents of the children with the highest level of untreated carious teeth. The importance of a family pattern of service use is also demonstrated.
Thomas
J F
JF
East Dyfed Health Authority, Community Health Clinic, Carmarthen, UK.
Startup
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D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009909:Oral Health; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014852:Wales