Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow
Abstract Background Regular dental attendance is significant in maintaining and improving children’s oral health and well-being. This study aims to determine the factors that predict and influence dental visits in primary school children residing in the rural community of Lithgow, New South Wales (N...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2232-1 |
| _version_ | 1818825833871048704 |
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| author | James Rufus John Haider Mannan Subrat Nargundkar Mario D’Souza Loc Giang Do Amit Arora |
| author_facet | James Rufus John Haider Mannan Subrat Nargundkar Mario D’Souza Loc Giang Do Amit Arora |
| author_sort | James Rufus John |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Regular dental attendance is significant in maintaining and improving children’s oral health and well-being. This study aims to determine the factors that predict and influence dental visits in primary school children residing in the rural community of Lithgow, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods All six primary schools of Lithgow were approached to participate in a cross-sectional survey prior to implementing water fluoridation in 2014. Children aged 6–13 years (n = 667) were clinically examined for their oral health status and parents were requested to complete a questionnaire on fluoride history, diet, last dental visit, and socio-demographic characteristics. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent predictors of a 6-monthly and a yearly dental visit. Results Overall, 53% of children visited a dentist within six months and 77% within twelve months. In multiple logistic regression analyses, age of the child and private health insurance coverage were significantly associated with both 6-monthly and twelve-month dental visits. In addition, each serve of chocolate consumption was significantly associated with a 27% higher odds (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.05-1.54) of a 6-monthly dental visit. Conclusion It is imperative that the socio-demographic and dietary factors that influence child oral health must be effectively addressed when developing the oral health promotion policies to ensure better oral health outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:18:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13d55158a1a94ded83c1f979a02d0860 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:18:03Z |
| publishDate | 2017-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-13d55158a1a94ded83c1f979a02d08602022-12-21T20:45:41ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632017-04-0117111010.1186/s12913-017-2232-1Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of LithgowJames Rufus John0Haider Mannan1Subrat Nargundkar2Mario D’Souza3Loc Giang Do4Amit Arora5School of Science and Health, Western Sydney UniversityCentre for Health Research, School of Medicine, Western Sydney UniversitySchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney UniversityClinical Research Centre, Sydney Local Health DistrictAustralian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of AdelaideSchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney UniversityAbstract Background Regular dental attendance is significant in maintaining and improving children’s oral health and well-being. This study aims to determine the factors that predict and influence dental visits in primary school children residing in the rural community of Lithgow, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods All six primary schools of Lithgow were approached to participate in a cross-sectional survey prior to implementing water fluoridation in 2014. Children aged 6–13 years (n = 667) were clinically examined for their oral health status and parents were requested to complete a questionnaire on fluoride history, diet, last dental visit, and socio-demographic characteristics. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent predictors of a 6-monthly and a yearly dental visit. Results Overall, 53% of children visited a dentist within six months and 77% within twelve months. In multiple logistic regression analyses, age of the child and private health insurance coverage were significantly associated with both 6-monthly and twelve-month dental visits. In addition, each serve of chocolate consumption was significantly associated with a 27% higher odds (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.05-1.54) of a 6-monthly dental visit. Conclusion It is imperative that the socio-demographic and dietary factors that influence child oral health must be effectively addressed when developing the oral health promotion policies to ensure better oral health outcomes.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2232-1Dental visitSchool childrenRuralSocio-demographicsOral health |
| spellingShingle | James Rufus John Haider Mannan Subrat Nargundkar Mario D’Souza Loc Giang Do Amit Arora Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow BMC Health Services Research Dental visit School children Rural Socio-demographics Oral health |
| title | Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow |
| title_full | Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow |
| title_fullStr | Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow |
| title_short | Predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural Australian community of Lithgow |
| title_sort | predictors of dental visits among primary school children in the rural australian community of lithgow |
| topic | Dental visit School children Rural Socio-demographics Oral health |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2232-1 |
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