Abstract
Aim: To study the access to dental care in schoolchildren from families with low socio- economic status (SES) comparing to children from families with non-low SES.
Methods: The study was approved by the Regional Ethics Committee. Informed consent from the parents of children was obtained. Per capita family income less than the minimum subsistence level in the region was defined as low SES. In 2012 in 10 out of 30 Volzhskiy schools all schoolchildren from the families with low SES (430 children aged 7-17 years, LS group) were identified according to the list of the Educational Department. In the same schools 418 schoolchildren were randomly selected from the families with non-low SES (NLS control group). The groups were identical by sex and age of the children. The children were examined by an experienced dentist. The number (mean ± standard error) of untreated decayed permanent teeth was calculated. The parents and the children were interviewed on the child access to dental care. The differences were assessed with Student’s t-test.
Results: The mean number of untreated decayed teeth in the LS group was significantly (p<0.001) higher than in NLS group: in 7-8-year-olds 1.7±0.1 vs 0.7±0.2; in 9-11-year- olds 2.0±0.2 vs 0.8±0.1; in 12-14-year-olds 3.1±0.2 vs 1.1±0.1; in 15-17 year-olds 4.0±0.2 vs 1.2±0.2. The children from LS group visited a dentist during the last 6 months less often than the children from NLS group: 172 of 430 (40.0%) vs 326 of 418 (78.0%) respectively, p<0.001. The number of children who had visited a dentist 1-2 years before or did not remember when they had visited a dentist in LS group was higher than in the NLS group: 181 of 430 (42.1%) vs 34 of 418 (8.1%) answers, p<0.001.
Conclusions: This sample of Volzhskiy schoolchildren from LS families reported more limited access to dental care than the schoolchildren from NLS families, and they had higher numbers of untreated permanent teeth.
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