title: Caries Experience Differs between Females and Males across Age Groups in Northern Appalachia.
abstract: Sex disparities in dental caries have been observed across many populations, with females typically exhibiting higher prevalence and more affected teeth. In this study we assessed the sex disparities in two Northern Appalachian populations from West Virginia (WV, N = 1997) and Pennsylvania (PA, N = 1080) by comparing caries indices between males and females across four phases of dental development: primary dentition in children aged 1-5 years, mixed dentition in children aged 6-11 years, permanent dentition in adolescents aged 12-17 years, and permanent dentition in adults aged 18-59 years. No significant sex differences were observed for children aged 1-5 years. Contrary to national and international trends, WV girls aged 6-11 years had 1.5 fewer affected teeth than boys (p < 0.001). However, by ages 12-17, caries indices in the WV girls matched those in boys. In both WV and PA adults, women and men had similar total counts of affected teeth (i.e., DMFT), although women had more dental restorations (p < 0.001) and men had more current decay (p < 0.001). These results suggest that in some Appalachian populations, young girls benefit from protection against caries that is lost during adolescence and that adult women utilize dental health care to a greater degree than men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.affiliation: Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Leslie
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA ; Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Feingold
authors.affiliation: Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Manika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Govil
authors.affiliation: Dental Practice and Rural Health, West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Crout
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Public Health and Information Management, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Weyant
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA ; Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA ; Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Marazita