Trends in social inequalities in early childhood caries using population-based clinical data

Abstract

Objective: To assess the longitudinal trends in social inequalities in early childhood caries (ECC) using collected population-based data. Methods: Clinical data on children were routinely collected from 2008 to 2019 in Victoria, Australia. ECC prevalence and severity (dmft) were quantified according to Indigenous status, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) status, concession cardholder status, geographic remoteness and area deprivation. The inverse probability weighting was used to quantify social inequalities in ECC. The weighted prevalence differences, and the ratio between the weighted prevalence of ECC and mean dmft and their 95% confidence interval, were then plotted. Results:..