title: Dental treatment needs in the Canadian population: analysis of a nationwide cross-sectional survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nationally representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians has not been available since the 1970s. The purpose of this study was to determine the normative treatment needs of a nationally representative sample of Canadians and describe how these needs were distributed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary analysis of data collected through the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) was undertaken. Sampling and bootstrap weights were applied to make the data nationally representative. Descriptive frequencies were used to examine the sample characteristics and to examine the treatment type(s) needed by the population. Bivariate logistic regressions were used to see if any characteristics were predictive of having an unmet dental treatment need, and of having specific treatment needs. Lastly, multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the strongest predictors of having an unmet dental treatment need.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the population had no treatment needs and of the 34.2% who did, most needed restorative (20.4%) and preventive (13.7%) care. The strongest predictors of need were having poor oral health, reporting a self-perceived need for treatment and visiting the dentist infrequently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is estimated that roughly 12 million Canadians have at least one unmet dental treatment need. Policymakers now have information by which to assess if programs match the dental treatment needs of Canadians and of particular subgroups experiencing excess risk.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. chantel.ramraj@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Chantel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramraj
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azarpazhooh
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dempster
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravaghi
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quiñonez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003814:Dentistry, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012943:Social Security / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult