Prevalence and caries-related risk factors in schoolchildren of 12- and 15-year-old: a cross-sectional study

Obregón-Rodríguez, N.; Fernández-Riveiro, P.; Piñeiro-Lamas, M.; Smyth-Chamosa, E.; Montes-Martínez, A.; Suárez-Cunqueiro, M. M.

doi:10.1186/s12903-019-0806-5

BMC Oral Health

Table 1 Distribution of variables in the sample of Galician schoolchildren, by age group

From: Prevalence and caries-related risk factors in schoolchildren of 12- and 15-year-old: a cross-sectional study

Variables		Prevalence
		Age 12 years		Age 15 years		p-value
		n	Percentage (95% CI)	n	Percentage (95% CI)	p-value
Sex	Male	501	47.8% [44.5–51.2]	339	43.2% [39.6–46.9]	0.0706
Sex	Female	544	52.2% [48.8–55.5]	444	56.8% [53.1–60.4]	0.0706
Residence	Urban area	605	53.5% [50.1–56.8]	488	54.6% [50.9–58.3]	0.6482
Residence	Rural area	440	46.5% [43.2–49.9]	295	45.4% [41.7–49.1]	0.6482
Frequency of toothbrushing	More than once a day	698	65.8% [62.5–68.9]	611	78.0% [74.7–80.9]	< 0.0001
	Once a day	226	22.5% [19.8–25.5]	134	16.8% [14.2–19.7]
	Less than once a day	21	2.0% [1.2–3.2]	15	1.9% [1.2–3.2]
	Occasionally	86	8.5% [6.8–10.6]	20	3.2% [2.0–5.1]
	Never or hardly ever	10	1.2% [0.6–2.4]	1	0.1% [0.0–0.6]
Type of toothbrush	Manual	874	85.3% [82.7–87.6]	705	92.0% [89.7–93.8]	0.0008
	Electric	294	33.9% [30.5–37.4]	167	23.9% [20.7–27.4]
	Both	133	12.7% [10.7–15.1]	81	10.4% [8.5–12.8]
Toothbrushing starting age	Mean ± SD	3.82 ± 1.55	- [3.72–3.92]	3.94 ± 1.81	- [3.81–4.07]	0.1775^c
Dental hygiene^a	Absence of dental plaque	218	19.9% [17.3–22.7]	279	36.2% [32.7–39.9]	< 0.0001
	Plaque on gingival border	479	46.1% [42.7–49.4]	350	44.9% [41.2–48.6]
	Plaque on 1/3 gingival	261	25.5% [22.7–28.6]	128	15.8% [13.2–18.7]
	Plaque on > 1/3 gingival	86	8.6% [6.8–10.7]	26	3.1% [2.1–4.7]
Fluorides	Yes	954	91.3% [89.2–93.1]	709	90.5% [88.0–92.6]	< 0.0001
Fluorides	No	91	8.7% [6.9–10.8]	74	9.5% [7.4–12.0]	< 0.0001
Dental floss	Yes	159	18.6% [15.9–21.7]	127	19.2% [16.3–22.5]	0.7942
Dental floss	No	707	81.4% [78.3–84.1]	552	80.8% [77.5–83.7]	0.7942
Dietary habits^b	Cariogenic diet	983	94.4% [92.6–95.7]	410	52.1% [48.4–55.7]	< 0.0001
Dietary habits^b	Non-cariogenic diet	62	5.6% [4.3–7.4]	373	47.9% [44.3–51.6]	< 0.0001
Type of dental care	Public dental health services	341	33.3% [30.2–36.6]	163	20.3% [17.5–23.4]	< 0.0001
Type of dental care	Private dental clinics	686	66.7% [63.4–69.8]	610	79.7% [76.6–82.5]	< 0.0001
Time since last visit to the dentist	Less than 1 month	307	30.5% [27.4–33.7]	216	28.1% [24.9–31.6]	0.0769
	1–3 months	241	24.6% [21.8–27.7]	178	23.0% [20.1–26.3]
	4–5 months	246	24.0% [21.3–27.1]	167	21.8% [18.9–25.1]
	More than 6 months	208	20.2% [17.6–23.0]	205	26.2% [23.1–29.6]
	Never	8	0.7% [0.3–1.5]	7	0.8% [0.4–1.7]
Caries prevalence	Yes	409	39.6% [36.3–42.9]	385	51.7% [48.0–55.4]	< 0.0001
Caries prevalence	No	636	60.4% [57.1–63.7]	398	48.3% [44.6–52.0]	< 0.0001

Statistical evaluation using the Chi-square test with 2nd-order Rao-Scott correction for differences by age group
^aDental plaque of explored teeth (16, 11, 26, 36, 31, 46): 0 = Dental plaque-free; 1 = Dental plaque on gingival border; 2 = Dental plaque on 1/3 gingival; 3 = Dental plaque on more than 1/3 gingival
^bQuestion: Which of these foods have you eaten the last week? a) Candies b) Chewing gums and jelly beans c) Soft drinks and processed juices d) Chocolate e) Popcorn and crackers f) Pastries and cakes g) Ice creams h) Others (to specify). To mark the frequency of consumption of each food: None/ 3 times a week or less/ 4–6 times a week/ Everyday
^cStatistical evaluation using the Student’s t-test for the difference of means by age group

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ISSN: 1472-6831

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