The impact of different determinants on the dental caries experience of children living in Australia rural and urban areas

Abstract

AIMS: Evidence suggests there are geographical variations in child oral health and this has prompted research into determinants of that variation. This study aimed to investigate factors attributable to the difference in child oral health between urban and rural areas in Australia. METHOD: Data were from the National Child Oral Health Study 2012-14, a population-based study of 5- to 14-year-old children, who underwent oral epidemiological examinations by trained examiners. Caries prevalence (dmfs/DMFS > 0) and experience (dmfs/DMFS count) in the primary dentition (5- to 8-year-old) and permanent dentition (9- to 14-year-old) were calculated. Children were grouped by residential location (urb..