Effectiveness of preventive oral health care in Hispanic children living near US-Mexico border.
OBJECTIVE
The effect of preventive oral healthcare on dental caries in Hispanic children in a school district near the US-Mexico border in Texas was studied.


METHODS
We collected socioeconomic and demographic data for enrolled students through a written survey of parents. The information was linked to screening data for students in the same school that had been collected during a previously completed teledentistry demonstration project. The presence of dental sealants served as a proxy for preventive oral healthcare. We compared the effect of sealant presence on caries. The student population was 97.5% Hispanic and 82% were economically disadvantaged.


RESULTS
Forty-four percent of the children in our study sample had caries. The prevalence of sealants was 19%; 32% is the national average. The results of regression models confirm the hypothesis that preventive services significantly reduce the occurrence of dental caries (OR = 0.241, P < 0.01). Higher household income (OR = 0.437, P < 0.05) and parent health insurance (OR = 0.497, P < 0.05) were also associated with reduced caries incidence.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that preventive services reduce the incidence of caries in Hispanic children in the study population.
Khurshid
Anjum
A
Clinical Research and Evaluation, Integrated Care Collaboration, Austin, TX 78741, USA. akhurshid@gmail.com
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants