Ethnic disparities in children's oral health: findings from a population-based survey of grade 1 and 2 schoolchildren in Alberta, Canada

Abstract Background Although oral health has improved remarkably in recent decades, not all populations have benefited equally. Ethnic identity, and in particular visible minority status, has been identified as an important risk factor for poor oral health. Canadian research on ethnic disparities in...

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Main Authors: Congshi Shi (Author), Peter Faris (Author), Deborah A. McNeil (Author), Steven Patterson (Author), Melissa L. Potestio (Author), Salima Thawer (Author), Lindsay McLaren (Author)
Format: Book
Published: BMC, 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z.
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042 |a dc 
100 1 0 |a Congshi Shi  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Peter Faris  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Deborah A. McNeil  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Steven Patterson  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Melissa L. Potestio  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Salima Thawer  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Lindsay McLaren  |e author 
245 0 0 |a Ethnic disparities in children's oral health: findings from a population-based survey of grade 1 and 2 schoolchildren in Alberta, Canada 
260 |b BMC,   |c 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z. 
500 |a 10.1186/s12903-017-0444-8 
500 |a 1472-6831 
520 |a Abstract Background Although oral health has improved remarkably in recent decades, not all populations have benefited equally. Ethnic identity, and in particular visible minority status, has been identified as an important risk factor for poor oral health. Canadian research on ethnic disparities in oral health is extremely limited. The aim of this study was to examine ethnic disparities in oral health outcomes and to assess the extent to which ethnic disparities could be accounted for by demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral factors, among a population-based sample of grade 1 and 2 schoolchildren (age range: 5-8 years) in Alberta, Canada. Methods A dental survey (administered during 2013-14) included a mouth examination and parent questionnaire. Oral health outcomes included: 1) percentage of children with dental caries; 2) number of decayed, extracted/missing (due to caries) and filled teeth; 3) percentage of children with two or more teeth with untreated caries; and 4) percentage of children with parental-ratings of fair or poor oral health. We used multivariable regression analysis to examine ethnic disparities in oral health, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral variables. Results We observed significant ethnic disparities in children's oral health. Most visible minority groups, particularly Filipino and Arab, as well as Indigenous children, were more likely to have worse oral health than White populations. In particular, Filipino children had an almost 5-fold higher odds of having severe untreated dental problems (2 or more teeth with untreated caries) than White children. Adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic, and caries-related behavior variables attenuated but did not eliminate ethnic disparities in oral health, with the exception of Latin American children whose outcomes did not differ significantly from White populations after adjustment. Conclusions Significant ethnic disparities in oral health exist in Alberta, Canada, even when adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral factors, with Filipino, Arab, and Indigenous children being the most affected. 
546 |a EN 
690 |a Oral health 
690 |a Dental caries 
690 |a Health status disparities 
690 |a Ethnicity 
690 |a Minority groups 
690 |a Children 
690 |a Dentistry 
690 |a RK1-715 
655 7 |a article  |2 local 
786 0 |n BMC Oral Health, Vol 18, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2018) 
787 0 |n http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12903-017-0444-8 
787 0 |n https://doaj.org/toc/1472-6831 
856 4 1 |u https://doaj.org/article/6f1f6fabf36c4e329d9824c72e0690a1  |z Connect to this object online.