A comparison of the social backgrounds and dental health of patients attending the Community Dental Service, the General Dental Service and non registered patients.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the dental health and social backgrounds of children in Southern Birmingham registered with the General Dental Service (GDS), the Community Dental Service (CDS) and those who were not registered with a dentist.


METHODS
Data characterising children as either registered with the GDS or not registered, which had been collected for a study in 1993/4 were analysed to distinguish those children attending the CDS within Southern Birmingham. The children were divided into three groups; those registered with the GDS, those attending the CDS and those not registered with a dentist.


METHODS
Three thousand two hundred and five eight-year-old children who attended schools in Southern Birmingham.


RESULTS
Of the children attending the CDS 74% were in the lowest ACORN category compared with 44% of those registered with GDS. Only 10% of the children registered with the GDS were of Asian ethnic origin compared with 54% of those attending the CDS. The dmft of children from the same ethnic background and ACORN category was found to be higher in those children registered with the GDS (3.15 +/- 2.75) than those who were not registered (2.17 +/- 2.58), due to more filled and missing teeth.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher proportion of children attending the CDS in Southern Birmingham come from a deprived social background and are of Asian ethnic origin than those registered with the GDS. The dental health of these children differs between those who have attended a dentist (GDS or CDS) and those who are non-registered (P < 0.05).
Waplington
J A
JA
University of Birmingham, School of Dentistry, UK.
White
D A
DA
Clarke
J R
JR
D002648:Child; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D013218:State Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*