Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the association between behavioural risk indicators and caries polarisation among 15-year-old adolescents in Lithuania.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in the year 2014. A multistage cluster sampling method was applied to obtain a representative sample. A dental examination was performed using WHO (1997) methods. Oral hygiene was assessed using the Plaque Index of Silness-Löe (1964). The adolescents were asked to complete an anonymous and voluntary self-administered questionnaire on conceptions related to oral health. The participants were dichotomised using the Significant Caries Index (SiC positive – a mean DMFT of the one third of study population with a highest caries score and SiC negative), tooth brushing habits (at least twice a day/once a day or less/) and dental attendance (regular/irregular). The Kaunas Regional Biomedical Research Ethics Committee approved the study and all participants’ parents gave their written consent. The differences between groups were explored using t-test, chisquare, Mann-Whitney tests and multivariate logistic regression model with the oral hygiene, DMFT, tooth brushing frequency, dental attendance as outcomes.
Results: A sample of 1,127 15-year-olds were involved. mean DMFT was 2.58 (SD 2.62) with significantly higher values in SiC positive 5.09 (SD 2.29) than in SiC negative group 0.86 (SD 0.83), p<0.001. The mean plaque index was 1.15 (SD 0.69) with no significant difference between the groups: SiC positive 1.18 (SD 0.7) and SiC negative 1.12 (SD 0.68) (p=0.25). Two dental caries risk indicators independently associated with a SiC positive outcome were identified: tooth brushing frequency (OR = 1.788 [95% CI: 1.002–3.192]) and reporting dental a visit in the last 12 month ( OR = 1 .668 [ 95% C I: 1 .134–2.454]).
Conclusions: Infrequent tooth brushing and irregular dental attendance should be considered as a dental caries risk indicators and may have an impact on caries polarisation.
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