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Table 3 Characteristics of 12- and 15-year-olds according to Clinical and Obvious Decay thresholdsa

From: Dental caries thresholds among adolescents in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 2013 at 12, and 15 years: implications for epidemiology and clinical care

Variables

12-year-olds

15-year-olds

N

Weighted % [95% CI]

Mean DAVMFS

Mean D2VMF

N

Weighted % [95% CI]

Mean DAVMFS

Mean D2VMFS

Clinical decay

[95% CI]

Obvious decay

[95% CI]

Clinical decay

[95% CI]

Obvious decay

[95% CI]

Sex

Male

955

50.97

[44.78, 57.12]

2.74

[2.13, 3.36]

1.32

[0.96, 1.67]

936

47.94

[41.25, 54.71]

4.17

[3.33, 5.01]

2.52

[1.95, 3.08]

Female

1009

49.03

[42.88, 55.22]

2.99

[2.23, 3.76]

1.66

[1.10, 2.21]

1027

52.06

[45.29, 58.75]

4.40

[3.46, 5.33]

2.74

[2.17, 3.31]

Free school meal eligibility

Not eligible for free school meals

1432

79.02

[74.93, 82.61]

2.41

[1.95, 2.86]

1.11

[0.89, 1.32]

1518

83.75

[79.01, 87.60]

3.96

[3.15, 4.78]

2.34

[1.8, 2.78]

Eligible for free school meals

532

20.98

[17.39, 25.07]

4.60

[3.40, 5.80]

2.90

[1.95, 3.85]

445

16.25

[12.40, 20.99]

5.96

[4.67, 7.24]

4.16

[3.35, 4.97]

Region

London

138

10.84

[7.03, 16.35]

2.00

[1.12, 2.87]

1.31

[0.48, 2.15]

121

9.41

[6.79, 12.91]

3.40

[2.29, 4.52]

2.53

1.68, 3.39]

South East

122

16.55

[8.77, 29.04]

1.33

[0.33, 2.33]

0.55

[0.25, 0.85]

108

16.68

[7.69, 32.49]

2.58

[1.44, 3.72]

1.78

[1.05, 2.52]

East of England

123

11.47

[6.31, 19.97]

2.97

[1.76, 4.18]

1.64

[0.73, 2.55]

105

11.90

[5.63, 23.43]

2.61

[0.36, 4.87]

1.22

[0.15, 2.30]

West Midlands

118

11.45

[7.03, 18.09]

1.71

[1.32, 2.11]

0.98

[0.69, 1.27]

125

11.97

[9.00, 15.76]

3.41

[2.42, 4.39]

2.68

[1.54, 3.83]

East Midlands

79

8.24

[1.74, 31.34]

3.72

[3.41, 4.03]

1.47

[0.94, 1.99]

82

7.39

[1.77, 26.11]

4.91

[3.04, 6.78]

2.54

[1.12, 3.96]

Yorkshire and the Humber

125

9.36

[5.06, 16.69]

2.69

[2.01, 3.37]

0.91

[0.35, 1.46]

115

10.44

[5.43, 19.13]

4.60

[1.67, 7.52]

2.17

[1.06, 3.29]

North East

138

4.65

[2.13, 9.87]

3.42

[2.27, 4.58]

2.15

[1.47, 2.82]

158

5.10

[2.40, 10.51]

5.43

[3.21, 7.64]

4.07

[2.43, 5.70]

South West

96

7.22

[3.80, 13.3]

1.79

[0.31, 3.27]

0.97

[0.34, 1.61]

83

7.48

[4.19, 13.02]

4.02

[0.64, 7.39]

2.27

[0.69, 3.85]

Wales

482

5.23

[3.37, 8.33]

4.35

[3.74, 4.97]

2.34

[1.73, 2.96]

439

5.75

[3.58, 9.12]

6.18

[4.75, 7.62]

4.01

[2.90, 5.11]

North West

170

11.42

[4.64, 25.47]

5.82

[4.58, 7.05]

3.04

[1.66, 4.43]

188

10.19

[4.87, 20.10]

7.32

[5.28, 9.37]

3.61

[2.33, 4.88]

Northern Ireland

373

3.46

[2.47, 4.83]

4.32

[3.29, 5.36]

2.93

[2.37, 3.48]

439

3.67

[2.72, 4.92]

8.11

[6.41, 9.82]

6.52

[5.25, 7.79]

School type

Independent school

101

6.52

[2.40, 16.49]

1.16

[0.24, 2.08]

0.37

[0.16, 0.58]

81

8.22

[2.29, 25.49]

1.52

[0.29, 2.75]

0.76

[0.57, 0.95]

Academy or free school

429

37.74

[24.75, 52.77]

2.70

[1.97, 3.43]

1.32

[0.93, 1.71]

410

37.33

[24.85, 51.76]

3.71

[2.49, 4.93]

2.22

[1.45, 2.99]

Secondary school

1434

55.74

[39.82, 70.56]

3.18

[2.52, 3.84]

1.73

[1.26, 2.19]

1472

54.46

[37.82, 70.15]

5.11

[4.23, 5.99]

3.20

[2.68, 3.72]

Index of multiple deprivation quintile

80%-100% Least deprived

212

15.28

[2.41, 23.71]

1.47

[0.91, 2.02]

0.56

[0.32, 0.79]

210

15.10

[10.00, 22.15]

3.07

[1.74, 4.41]

1.60

[0.80, 2.39]

60%-80%

297

19.06

[14.65, 24.42]

1.92

[1.24, 2.61]

0.73

[0.43, 1.03]

290

18.83

[13.23, 26.08]

3.89

[1.99, 5.80]9

2.03

[1.06, 3.01]

40%-60%

317

12.56

[8.84, 17.54]

3.13

[2.20, 4.06]

1.79

[1.11, 2.46]

311

16.17

[12.83, 20.19]

3.69

[2.55, 4.83]

2.29

[1.44, 3.13]

20%-40%

406

19.28

[15.3, 23.98]

2.74

[2.12, 3.35]

1.54

[0.96, 2.12]

428

19.51

[15.20, 24.69]

4.41

[3.60, 5.23]

3.00

[2.44, 3.55]

0–20% Most deprived

732

33.82

[25.43, 43.38]

4.01

[3.01, 5.01]

2.18

[1.40, 2.96]

724

30.39

[21.76, 40.67]

5.38

[4.16, 6.60]

3.47

[2.39, 4.54]

Ethnicity

White

1647

80.83

[74.30, 86.01]

3.08

[2.52, 3.64]

1.62

[1.23, 2.00]

1639

81.17

[75.46, 85.80]

4.35

[3.36, 5.34]

2.63

[2.06, 3.19]

Non-white

317

19.17

[13.99, 25.7]

1.97

[1.40, 2.53]

0.93

[0.56, 1.30]

324

18.83

[14.20, 24.54]

4.03

[3.15, 4.92]

2.65

[1.77, 3.52]

Frequency of brushing teeth

Twice a day or more

1499

77.61

[73.59, 81.17]

2.57

[2.07, 3.08]

1.38

[1.03, 1.73]

1545

80.81

[77.95, 83.37]

4.01

[3.25, 4.77]

2.45

[2.00, 2.89]

Once a day or less

465

22.39

[18.83, 26.41]

3.88

[2.66, 5.11]

1.86

[1.20, 2.51]

418

19.19

[16.63, 22.05]

5.46

[4.10, 6.81]

3.42

[2.32, 4.52]

Frequency of sugar intake

Less than four times a day

650

35.02

[30.97, 39.39]

2.04

[1.56, 2.53]

1.03

[0.66, 1.41]

683

38.42

[34.64, 42.35]

3.17

[2.23, 4.11]

1.80

[1.34, 2.26]

Four or more times a day

1314

64.98

[60.71, 69.03]

3.31

[2.72, 3.90]

1.73

[1.31, 2.14]

1280

61.58

[57.65, 65.36]

4.99

[4.1, 5.80]

3.15

[2.60, 3.70]

Usual dental attendanceb

Regular

1677

84.55

[81.14, 87.44]

2.61

[2.17, 3.05]

1.29

[1.06, 1.52]

1653

84.86

[80.86, 88.15]

3.72

[2.94, 4.49]

2.13

[1.72, 2.54]

Irregular/none

287

15.45

[12.56, 18.86]

4.27

[2.71, 5.83]

2.52

[1.40, 3.64]

310

15.14

[11.85, 19.14]

7.50

[5.84, 9.16]

5.46

[4.22, 6.69]

Self-rated dental anxiety score MDAS grouping

Low/no anxiety (score 5–9)

551

24.78

[21.8, 28.02]

3.52

[2.69, 4.36]

1.73

[1.24, 2.21]

708

36.21

[32.40, 40.20]

4.99

[3.98, 6.00]

3.12

[2.44, 3.81]

Moderate anxiety (score 10–18)

1163

62.19

[58.74, 65.51]

2.52

[1.99, 3.05]

1.31

[1.02, 1.60]

1014

54.01

[49.52, 58.42]

3.60

[2.76, 4.44]

2.07

[1.63, 2.52]

Extreme anxiety (score 19–25)

250

13.04

[11.02, 15.36]

3.26

[2.11, 4.41]

1.84

[0.99, 2.68]

241

9.78

[7.80, 12.20]

5.50

[4.15, 6.84]

3.91

[2.72, 5.10]

Total

1964

100

 

2.87

[2.39, 3.34]

1.48

[1.18, 1.78]

1963

100

 

4.29

[3.51, 5.07]

2.63

[2.18, 3.08]

  1. aClinical decay threshold (DAVMFS) represents CDHS AV and above. Obvious decay threshold (D2VMFS) represents CDHS 2 V and above
  2. bRegular represents “for a check-up”, irregular/none combines “only when have trouble with teeth” and “never been to the dentist”