Comparison of four composite deprivation indices and two census variables in predicting dental caries in 12-year-old children in Wales.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the explanatory power of four composite indices of social economic status in their ability to predict dental caries experience.


METHODS
A secondary analysis of Welsh BASCD survey data using ward aggregated dental data, census variables and composite measures of deprivation.


METHODS
Examinations took place in schools.


METHODS
All 12-year-old children examined in the 1996/97 survey.


METHODS
The explanatory variables were Jarman index, Welsh Underprivileged Area score (WUPA), Carstairs and Townsend indices and the outcome measure was mean DMFT.


RESULTS
The amount of the mean DMFT explained by the explanatory variables ranged from 62.9% with Welsh Underprivileged Area score (WUPA) in Bro Taf Health Authority to 4.2% with the Jarman index in Dyfed-Powys health authority. Of the constituent parts of the composite variables only the percentage with no car appeared in the 'top three' variables in all but one of six models.


CONCLUSIONS
The composite indices explained very different amounts of the variation in mean DMFT between the different health authorities. It would be unwise to rely on any one as a method of predicting which sections of the population would be likely to have dental disease.
Morgan
M Z
MZ
Department of Dental Health and Development, The Dental School, Cardiff, UK.
Treasure
E T
ET
D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D012923:Social Class; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology