Journal article

Oral health inequalities in a national sample of Australian children aged 2-3 and 6-7 years

NM Kilpatrick, A Neumann, N Lucas, J Chapman, JM Nicholson

Australian Dental Journal | WILEY-BLACKWELL | Published : 2012

Abstract

Background: While inequalities in oral health are generally well documented, it is less clear whether such patterns are evident from early childhood. Using four measures of potential inequality, this study examined patterns in oral health for Australian children at ages 2-3 and 6-7 years. Methods: Cross-sectional data from two cohorts of children in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) were used to explore associations between reported oral health and four indicators of social disadvantage: socio-economic position (SEP), residential remoteness, Indigenous status and non-English speaking background. Results: For both cohorts, lower SEP and Indigenous status were associated wit..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Awards (237149 to NK, 390136 to JN). All Murdoch Childrens Research Institute staff are supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Program. This paper uses confidentialized unit record data from Growing Up in Australia, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The study is conducted in partnership between the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The findings and views reported in this paper are those of the authors and should not be attributed to FaHCSIA, AIFS or the ABS. The authors thank Obioha Ukoumunne and Sebastian Misson for advice on statistics and weighting.