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.
Clinical Research and Evaluation, Integrated Care Collaboration, Austin, TX 78741, USA. akhurshid@gmail.com
Anjum
A
Khurshid
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