Gender differences in tooth loss among Chilean adolescents: socio-economic and behavioral correlates.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate gender differences in tooth loss among Chilean adolescents and its association with selected socio-economic indicators and oral-health-related behaviors.


METHODS
Data on 9,163 Chilean adolescents obtained using multistage random cluster procedures. Clinical recordings included information on missing teeth and the participants provided information on socio-demographic factors and oral-related behaviors. Two eruption-time-adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between gender, tooth loss and socio-economic position/oral-health-related behaviors.


RESULTS
The association between gender and tooth loss remained after adjusting for age, eruption times in both the socio-economic position regression model and the oral-health-related behaviors model. Tooth loss followed social gradients for the variables paternal income and achieved parental education, with students reporting a paternal income < 100,000 US dollars (OR = 2.0), and having a father (OR = 1.8) and a mother (OR = 2.0) who achieved only primary school education being more likely to experience tooth loss. The adjusted regression model for behavioral indicators revealed that students who reported brushing their teeth once a day (OR = 1.6) were more likely to have experienced tooth loss than those who reported more frequent toothbrushing. Students who visited a dentist rarely (OR = 0.8) or never (OR = 0.5) were less likely to have lost first molars and/or incisors.


CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that gender differences in tooth loss among young Chileans are related to socio-economic position; and selected oral-health-related behaviors after adjusting for eruption time variation.
López
Rodrigo
R
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. rlopez@odont.au.dk
Baelum
Vibeke
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D014078:Tooth Eruption / Q000502:physiology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data