title: Migration background is associated with caries in Viennese school children, even if parents have received a higher education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A low level of education and the migration background of parents are associated with the development of caries in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a higher educational level of parents can overcome risks for the development of caries in immigrants in Vienna, Austria.
  
  
  METHODS
  The educational level of the parents, the school type, and the caries status of 736 randomly selected twelve-year-old children with and without migration background was determined in this cross sectional study. In children attending school in Vienna the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index was determined. For statistical analysis, a mixed negative-binomial-model was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The caries status of the children with migration background was significantly worse compared to that of the native Viennese population. A significant interaction was found between migration background and the educational level of the parents (p = 0.045). No interaction was found between the school type and either the migration background (p = 0.220) or the education level of the parents (p = 0.08). In parents with a higher scholarly education level, migration background (p < 0.01) and school type (p = 0.018) showed an association with DMFT values. In parents with a low education level, however, migration background and school type had no significant association with DMFT values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that children with a migration background are at higher risk to acquire caries than other Viennese children, even when the parents have received a higher education.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cvikl
authors.forename: Gertraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haubenberger-Praml
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drabo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hagmann
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Oral Cell Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. reinhard.gruber@zmk.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nell
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools / Q000145:classification; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology