Indigenous child oral health at a regional and state level.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the dental disease experience of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in South Australia's mid-north region (regional area) and to assess Indigenous oral health differences at a regional- and state-level.


METHODS
Data were collected from a School Dental Service based in an Aboriginal-owned medical health service and standard school dental clinics in the regional area from March 2001 to March 2006. State-level data were obtained over a 12-month period in 2003. Caries prevalence (per cent dmft or DMFT >0) and severity (mean dmft or DMFT, SiC and SiC10) measures were used to assess dental disease experience.


RESULTS
In the regional area, Indigenous children aged <10 years had 1.6, 1.9, 1.6 and 1.4 times the percent dmft >0, mean dmft, SiC primary and SiC(10) primary, respectively, of their non-Indigenous counterparts, while Indigenous children aged 6+ years had 1.3, 1.7, 1.7 and 1.6 times the percent DMFT > 0, mean DMFT, SiC permanent and SiC10 permanent, respectively, of non-Indigenous children. Indigenous children in the regional area had significantly higher caries prevalence and severity than Indigenous children at a state-level.


CONCLUSIONS
Indigenous children in South Australia's mid-north region are dentally disadvantaged in comparison with their non-Indigenous counterparts and with the general South Australian Indigenous child population.
Jamieson
Lisa M
LM
Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, South Australia, Australia. lisa.jamieson@adelaide.edu.au
Parker
Eleanor J
EJ
Armfield
Jason M
JM
D002648:Child; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012923:Social Class; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D000095283:Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples