Jung Se-Hwan, Kim Myoung-Hee, Ryu Jae-In
Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju University, 120 Gangneungdaehag-ro, Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, 25457, South Korea.
Center for Health Equity Research, People's Health Institute, 36 Sadangro 13-gil, 2nd floor, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07004, South Korea.
BMC Oral Health. 2018 Apr 24;18(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s12903-018-0533-3.
This study aims to evaluate inequality in oral health among adolescents and to explain the mechanisms of such inequalities in Gangneung, South Korea.
One thousand two hundred sixty-seven students in their first year from four vocational and three general schools participated in the baseline survey of 2011, and 84.7% of them were surveyed again in 2013. Oral examinations by the same dentist and a self-administered questionnaire were repeated during both waves. Outcome measure for oral health was the existence of untreated dental caries (DT). As socioeconomic position (SEP) indicators, school type (general vs. vocational), father's and mother's education, perceived economic status, and Family Affluence Scale (FAS) were measured. Variables measuring oral health related behaviours included tooth brushing frequency, frequency of eating snacks and drinking sodas, smoking, and annual visits to dental clinics. Chi-square tests and panel logistic regression were adopted to examine the associations between dental caries and SEP indicators by STATA version 15.1.
Having a less educated father and attending a vocational school were significant predictors for untreated caries after controlling for SEP indicators. However, students from general schools, higher SEP by father's education, perceived economic status, or FAS, or having non-smoking experience or annual visits to dental clinics were more likely to stay caries-free.
There were socioeconomic inequalities in oral health on an adolescent panel. Given that oral health status during adolescents can persist throughout the course of a person's life, intervention to tackle such inequalities and school environments are required.
本研究旨在评估韩国江陵青少年口腔健康的不平等状况，并解释这种不平等的机制。
来自四所职业学校和三所普通学校的1267名一年级学生参加了2011年的基线调查，其中84.7%的学生在2013年再次接受调查。在两次调查期间，均由同一位牙医进行口腔检查，并重复进行自填式问卷调查。口腔健康的结果指标是未治疗龋齿（DT）的存在情况。作为社会经济地位（SEP）指标，测量了学校类型（普通学校与职业学校）、父亲和母亲的教育程度、感知经济状况以及家庭富裕程度量表（FAS）。测量口腔健康相关行为的变量包括刷牙频率、吃零食和喝汽水的频率、吸烟情况以及每年看牙医的次数。采用卡方检验和面板逻辑回归，通过STATA 15.1版本检验龋齿与SEP指标之间的关联。
在控制SEP指标后，父亲教育程度较低和就读职业学校是未治疗龋齿的重要预测因素。然而，来自普通学校的学生、因父亲教育程度、感知经济状况或FAS而具有较高SEP的学生、有不吸烟经历或每年看牙医的学生更有可能无龋齿。
青少年群体在口腔健康方面存在社会经济不平等。鉴于青少年时期的口腔健康状况可能会持续一生，需要采取干预措施来解决这种不平等问题，并改善学校环境。
