Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2007
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
24
Issue:
4

Dental caries trends among indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children

Objective To examine trends in dental caries among indigenous and non-indigenous children in an Australian territory. Basic Research Design Routinely-collected data from a random selection of 6- and 12-year-old indigenous and non-indigenous children enrolled in the Northern Territory School Dental Service from 1989–2000 were obtained. The association of indigenous status with caries prevalence (percent dmft or DMFT>0 and percent dmft>3 or DMFT>1), caries severity (mean dmft or DMFT) and treatment need (percent d/dmft or D/DMFT) was examined. Results Results were obtained for 10,687 6- and 12-year old indigenous children and 21,777 6- and 12year-old non-indigenous children from 1989–2000. Across all years, indigenous 6-year-olds had higher caries prevalence in the deciduous dentition, greater mean dmft and percent d/dmft, and indigenous 12-year-olds had greater percent D/DMFT than their non-indigenous counterparts (p<0.05). From 1996–2000 the mean dmft and percent d/dmft for indigenous 6-year-olds and mean DMFT and percent D/DMFT for indigenous 12-year-olds increased, yet remained relatively constant for their non-indigenous counterparts (p<0.05). From 1997–2000, the percent dmft>3 for 6-year-old indigenous children was more than double that of non-indigenous children, while across the period 1994–2000, indigenous 6-year-old mean dmft was more than double that of their non-indigenous counterparts (p<0.05). Conclusions Indigenous children in our study experienced consistently poorer oral health than non-indigenous children. The severity of dental caries among indigenous children, particularly in the deciduous dentition, appears to be increasing while that of non-indigenous children has remained constant. Our findings suggest that indigenous children carry a disproportionate amount of the dental caries burden among Northern Territory 6- and 12-year-olds.

Key words: Children, dental caries, indigenous, trends

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
238
Page End
246
Authors
L.M. Jamieson, J.M. Armfield, K.F. Roberts-Thomson

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - The STROBE initiative and its implications for dental public health research
  2. 194
  3. 197

  1. Evaluation of the Parental Perceptions Questionnaire, a component of the COHQoL, for use in the UK.
  2. 198
  3. 204

  1. Dental care use: does dental insurance truly make a difference in the US?
  2. 205
  3. 212

  1. Private dental health expenditure in Greece by region and income: comparison between the years 1987 and 1998.
  2. 216
  3. 216

  1. The prevalence and severity of dental pain in 14-15 year old Brazilian schoolchildren
  2. 217
  3. 224

  1. Dental caries prevalence among adults in Denmark – the impact of socio-demographic factors and use of oral health services
  2. 225
  3. 232

  1. The effect of advance telephone prompting in a survey of general dental practitioners in Scotland: A randomised controlled trial
  2. 233
  3. 237

  1. Dental caries trends among indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children
  2. 238
  3. 246

  1. Assessment of the reliability and validity of the Dental Neglect Scale in Norwegian adults
  2. 247
  3. 252

  1. Determinants of ECC in Sardinian preschool children
  2. 253
  3. 256

  1. The working practices and career satisfaction of dental therapists in New Zealand
  2. 257
  3. 263

  1. Short Communication - Caries prevalence and location and dental treatment needs in preschoolers in Athens – GENESIS Project
  2. 264
  3. 267

  1. BASCD Presidential Address
  2. 268
  3. 270