Demographic factors and dental health of Swedish children and adolescents

AbstractObjective. To investigate the dental health of Swedish children and adolescents with reference to age, gender and residence. Material and methods. Electronic dental records from 300,988 3–19-year-olds in one Swedish region were derived in a cross-sectional study in years 2007–2009. The DMFT system was used. Age was categorized into 3–6/7–9/10–12/13–15/16–17/18–19-year-olds and residence into ‘metropolitan’, ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ areas. ANOVA, generalized linear regression models and Fisher’s exact test were used. Results. Among 7–9-year-old children, nine out of 10 were free from fillings and manifest caries, while for 18–19-year-olds; this proportion was one third. Girls (18–19-year-olds) had a significantly lower risk of caries compared to boys of the same age, RR for the DT index = 0.83 (95% CI = 0.81–0.85). This pattern was reversed in 7–12-year-old children. Children and adolescents in metropolitan and urban areas had significantly more caries than subjects in rural areas, for instance the RR f...