title: Influence of different variables on the inter-municipality variation in caries experience in Danish adolescents.
abstract: 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 < or =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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology and Endodontics, Dental Faculty of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. kim@odont.ku.dk
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Ekstrand
authors.forename: M E C
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Qvist
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000032:analysis; D004245:DMF Index; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education; D011636:Public Health Dentistry / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D005459:Fluorides