Abstract

Factors influencing prevalence of caries in a Chilean preschool population: Econometric analysis. Raul A. Palacio1 2, Christopher R.Vernazza1 2, Jing Shen2, Jimmy G. Steele1 2, Luke Vale2 1School of Dental Sciences & 2Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University.UK Background: Different studies worldwide have highlighted different factors influencing caries prevalence and with Chile there appears to be a difference between regions in prevalence. Why this prevalence differs warrants investigation and additional studies are required to determinate the factors associated with this difference. Aim: To examine the relationship of several risk indicators with the prevalence of caries (dmft>0) in the Chilean preschool population. Design: The data used come from a cross-sectional study directed by the Chilean Ministry of Health. This dataset is drawn from a clinical examination of 1600 4-year-olds children and a parental completed questionnaire carried out in 2010. Variables used in the analysis include socioeconomic status, oral health behaviours, and coverage of fluoridated water by county. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the relationship between these variables and prevalence of caries. Results: Educational level of head of household and dependency of school (private, subsidised or public) showed statistically significantly relationships indicating that children with a lower risk of caries were those who attend private schools and those with a more educated head of house. Other significant variables were mother's number of teeth, frequency of toothbrushing, autonomy of toothbrushing, drinking sugary liquids before bed, previous dentist experience and perceived need for treatment. The presence of fluoridated water was highly significant (p<0.001) and had an OR of 0.3 (IC95 0.2-0.4). Conclusions: The nonexistence of fluoridated water was the most significant predictor of caries prevalence. These findings will allow better targeting of preschool population in future studies.