Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
BMC Oral Health. 2012 Sep 7;12:39. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-12-39.
According to the United States census, there are 28 categories that define "Hispanic/Latinos." This paper compares differences in oral health status between Mexican immigrants and other Latino immigrant groups.
Derived from a community-based sample (N = 240) in Los Angeles, this cross-sectional study uses an interview covering demographic and behavioral measures, and an intraoral examination using NIDCR epidemiologic criteria. Descriptive, bivariate analysis, and multiple regression analysis were conducted to examine the determinants that are associated with the Oral Health Status Index (OHSI).
Mexican immigrants had a significantly higher OHSI (p < .05) compared to other Latinos. The multilinear regression showed that both age and gender (p < .05), percentage of untreated decayed teeth (p < .001), number of replaced missing teeth (p < .001), and attachment loss (p < .001) were significant.
Compared with the other Latino immigrants in our sample, Mexican immigrants have significantly better oral health status. This confirms the epidemiologic paradox previously found in comparisons of Mexicans with whites and African Americans. In this case of oral health status the paradox also occurs between Mexicans and other Latinos. Therefore, when conducting oral health studies of Latinos, more consideration needs to be given to differences within Latino subgroups, such as their country of origin and their unique ethnic and cultural characteristics.
根据美国人口普查数据，有 28 个类别定义了“西班牙裔/拉丁裔”。本文比较了墨西哥移民与其他拉丁裔移民群体之间口腔健康状况的差异。
本横断面研究源自洛杉矶的一个基于社区的样本（N=240），采用涵盖人口统计学和行为措施的访谈以及使用 NIDCR 流行病学标准的口腔内检查。进行描述性、双变量分析和多元回归分析，以检查与口腔健康状况指数（OHSI）相关的决定因素。
与其他拉丁裔相比，墨西哥移民的 OHSI 显著更高（p<.05）。多元线性回归显示，年龄和性别（p<.05）、未经治疗的龋齿百分比（p<.001）、缺失牙的替代数量（p<.001）和附着丧失（p<.001）均具有显著意义。
与我们样本中的其他拉丁裔移民相比，墨西哥移民的口腔健康状况显著更好。这证实了先前在比较墨西哥人与白人和非裔美国人时发现的流行病学悖论。在这种口腔健康状况下，墨西哥人与其他拉丁裔之间也存在悖论。因此，在进行拉丁裔口腔健康研究时，需要更多地考虑拉丁裔亚群内部的差异，例如他们的原籍国以及他们独特的民族和文化特征。
