Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2010
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
27
Issue:
2

Oral health in children in Denmark under different public dental health care schemes

Purpose: To describe and analyse oral health of children and adolescents under two types of dental health care schemes under the Public Dental Health Service in Denmark, and to analyse possible influence of socio-economic and socio-cultural factors. Methods: Data on children’s oral health status was obtained from public oral health registers and were pooled with data from questionnaires sent to parents of the children and adolescents. The study comprised individuals aged 5, 12 and 15, in total 2168 persons, randomly drawn from four municipalities with dental care provided by salaried dentists in public dental clinics and three municipalities with dental care provided by dentists in private practice. 70% of the parents completed a questionnaire including questions on socio-economic and socio-cultural background, lifestyle-related factors, self assessment of parents’ oral- and general health. After the data were merged, the final study population represented 60% of the original target population. Results: The mean caries experience (DMFS+dmfs) was 2.2 and further analysis of caries experience in each age group showed no variations in relation to type of provider of dental care. However, multiple dummy regression analyses demonstrated that low education, poor general health, foreign citizenship and smoking habits of the parents were important determinants for high level of caries in their children. Conclusion: Occurrence of dental caries as well as changes over time in levels of dental caries of Danish children did not vary by scheme of Public Dental Health Service, i.e. whether dental health care was provided by public employed dentists or by private practitioners. However, social inequalities still relate to caries experience in children and adolescents. Adjustment of preventive oral health activities strategy seems to be needed.

Keywords: Caries experience, dental care provider, lifestyle, schoolchildren, socio-cultural factors, socio-economic factors.

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
94
Page End
101
Authors
L.B. Christensen, P.E. Petersen, B. Hede

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - Use of qualitative data in oral health research
  2. 66
  3. 67

  1. A health equity methodology for auditing oral health and NHS General Dental Services in Sheffield, England.
  2. 68
  3. 73

  1. Effectiveness of structured comprehensive paediatric oral health education for parents of children less than two years of age in Germany
  2. 74
  3. 80

  1. An assessment of nutritional information in oral health education leaflets
  2. 81
  3. 88

  1. Reliability analysis of visual examinations carried out by schoolteachers and a dental assistant in the detection of dental caries.
  2. 89
  3. 93

  1. Oral health in children in Denmark under different public dental health care schemes
  2. 94
  3. 101

  1. Caries experience and oral health behaviour among 11 – 13-year-olds: an ecological study of data from 27 European countries, Israel, Canada and USA
  2. 102
  3. 108

  1. Caries prevalence and intra-oral pattern among young children in Ajman.
  2. 109
  3. 113

  1. Endodontic treatment completion following emergency pulpectomy
  2. 114
  3. 117

  1. Prevalence of cleft lip and palate in births from 2003 – 2006 in Iran.
  2. 118
  3. 121

  1. Development of a measure of childhood information learning experiences related to dental anxiety
  2. 122
  3. 128