Influence of sociodemographic variables on use of dental services, oral health and oral hygiene among Spanish children.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the possible influence of sociodemographic variables on use of dental services, oral health and oral hygiene among Spanish children.


METHODS
Descriptive cross-sectional study based on 1,676 interviews conducted with parents or guardians of children ages 3-15 years. The dependent variables analysed were: use of dental services in the preceding 12 months; self-reported caries ever; and daily dental hygiene measured as toothbrushing frequency. Independent variables were sex, age, size of town or city, educational level, and monthly income of the family unit.


RESULTS
A total of 60% of the study children had not visited a dental professional in the preceding 12 months. Children having parents or guardians with the lowest educational level were 1.592 times more likely to have received no dental care than those with the highest educational level. The likelihood of not having made use of such dental services rose 2.232-fold in cases where income was < 600 versus >1200 per month. Overall prevalence of self-reported caries for the sample as a whole was 34.4%. Subjects in the lowest income bracket (< 600 per month) were 1.497 times more likely to have caries than those in the highest income bracket. In all, 68.5% brushed their teeth every night, but the percentage rose significantly with age, size of town or city, and income.


CONCLUSIONS
There is considerable social inequality in the use of dental services, oral health and oral hygiene among Spanish children.
Jiménez
Rodrigo
R
Unidad de Docencia y Investigación en Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain rjimenezg@cs.urjc.es
Tapias-Ledesma
Miguel Angel
MA
Gallardo-Pino
Carmen
C
Carrasco
Pilar
P
de Miguel
Angel Gil
AG
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data