Association Between the Oral Health Status and Sociodemographic Factors Among 5–15-Year-Old Schoolchildren from Mallorca, Spain—A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Data Collection
2.3. Ethical Data Handling and Statistical Analysis
2.4. Variables to Be Studied and Diagnostic Criteria
- Age;
- Sex;
- Type of school—public or private/charter;
- Geographical location—urban or rural;
- Education level of parents/guardians—elementary, secondary, or higher education.
- State of the dentition. A lesion presenting as an unmistakable cavity on the tooth surface was considered caries, as per the WHO 5th edition criteria [21]. Decayed (D), missing (M), and filled (F) teeth were recorded to calculate the prevalence of caries;
- DMFT index for primary dentition—the average of the sum of teeth with caries and filled teeth of all the schoolchildren examined (measured at 5–6 years old);
- DMFT index for permanent teeth—the mean of the sum of the numbers of teeth with caries, teeth absent due to caries, and filled teeth of all the schoolchildren examined (measured at 5–6, 12 and 15 years old);
- Prevalence of caries—the percentage of individuals with treated and active caries lesions (dmft/DMFT > 0), and the percentage of schoolchildren with active caries lesions (c/C > 0);
- Restorative index—the ratio of the total number of filled teeth to the total index under study (DMFT for permanent teeth or dmft for primary teeth), multiplied by 100. RI = [FT/(DMFT or dmft)] × 100;
- Bratthal’s SiC Index (Significant Caries Index). This is defined as the mean DMFT obtained from the third of the sample distribution with the highest caries scores. This was used as a complement to the DMFT;
- Sealed teeth. Sealants are considered a preventive intervention;
- Periodontal status was measured with the community periodontal index (CPI) and the number of healthy sextants in the 12- and 15-year-old cohorts. Six sites from each of the index teeth (16, 11, 26, 31, 36, and 46) were explored with the WHO periodontal probe and assessed as healthy (0), bleeding (1), or presenting dental calculus (2), recording only the highest value for each tooth;
- Urgency of intervention. This is determined according to the presence of caries, periodontal disease, or any other type of complication derived from them (0 = no treatment, 1 = preventive treatment, 2 = early treatment, and 3 = treatment for infection or pain);
- Frequency of brushing—determined via responses to the survey question (Never (0), <than once a day (1), once a day (2), 2 or more times per day (3), or NR (No Response)/DK (Don’t Know)) (4);
- Perception of health status. This was derived from answers to the question how would you describe the health of your teeth? 1 = excellent; 2 = very good; 3 = good; 4 = fair; 5 = poor; 6 = very poor; 9 = I do not know.
3. Results
3.1. Description of the Study Sample
3.2. Variables Related to Caries Disease
- Primary dentition
- Permanent dentition
- Primary dentition
- Permanent dentition
3.3. Variables Related to Periodontal Disease
3.4. Analysis of the Urgency of Intervention
3.5. Analysis of Brushing Frequency
3.6. Analysis of Oral Health Perceptions
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
WHO | World Health Organization |
FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
EFSA | European Food Safety Authority |
DMFT | Decayed (D), Missing (M), and Filled (F) for permanent Teeth. |
dmft | Decayed (D), Missing (M), and Filled (F) for primary teeth. |
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First Stratum | Population Centers | Urban Rural |
---|---|---|
Second stratum | School types | Public Charter/Private |
Third stratum | Age groups | 5–6 years old (1st-grade elementary) 12 years old (6th-grade elementary) 15 years old (4th-year secondary) |
1st Grade Elementary (5–6 Years Old) n = 255 | 6th Grade Elementary (12 Years Old) n = 230 | 4th Year Secondary (15 Years) n = 233 | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | ||
Sex | Male | 144 | 56.47 | 125 | 54.35 | 112 | 48.06 | 381 | 53.06 |
Female | 111 | 43.53 | 105 | 46.65 | 121 | 51.93 | 337 | 46.94 | |
Type of school | Public | 177 | 69.4 | 159 | 69.1 | 190 | 81.5 | 526 | 73.3 |
Private/Charter | 78 | 30.6 | 71 | 30.9 | 43 | 18.5 | 192 | 26.7 | |
Geographic location | Urban | 163 | 63.9 | 140 | 60.9 | 101 | 43.3 | 404 | 56.3 |
Rural | 92 | 36.1 | 90 | 39.1 | 132 | 56.7 | 314 | 43.7 |
n | Prevalence of Caries (%) | Prevalence of Active Caries Lesions (%) | Caries Index (Dmft/DMFT ± SD) | Restorative Index (RI ± SE) | Significant Caries Index (SiC ± SD) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5–6 years old, primary | 255 | p-Value (Chi-square) | p-Value (Chi-square) | p-Value (Student’s t) | p-Value (Student’s t) | p-Value (Student’s t) | |||||
Boys | 144 | 50 (34.7%) | 0.044 * | 36 (25%) | 0.019 * | 1.1250 ± 2.301 | 0.024 * | 36.748 ± 6.355 | 0.563 | - | - |
Girls | 111 | 52 (46.8%) | 43 (38.7%) | 1.819 ± 2.580 | 31.833 ± 5.620 | - | - | ||||
Public school | 177 | 77 (43.5%) | 0.085 | 61 (34.5%) | 0.070 | 1.598 ± 2.536 | 0.092 | 33.292 ± 4.796 | 0.694 | - | - |
Private school/charter | 78 | 25 (32.1%) | 18 (23.1%) | 1.038 ± 2.194 | 37.171 ± 8.985 | - | - | ||||
Urban school | 163 | 61 (37.4%) | 0.264 | 46 (28.2%) | 0.205 | 1.380 ± 2.477 | 0.130 | 35.267 ± 5.457 | 0.769 | - | - |
Rural school | 92 | 41 (44.6%) | 33 (35.9%) | 1.510 ± 2.401 | 32.718 ± 6.723 | - | - | ||||
5–6 years old, permanent | 255 | ||||||||||
Boys | 144 | 7 (4.9%) | 0.044 * | 6 (4.2%) | 0.068 | 0.0833 ± 0.4345 | 0.086 | 21.4286 ± 14.869 | 0.848 | 0.212 ± 0.689 | 0.132 |
Girls | 111 | 13 (11.7%) | 11 (9.9%) | 0.198 ± 0.629 | 17.948 ± 10.415 | 0.473 ± 0.892 | |||||
Public school | 177 | 14 (7.9%) | 0.953 | 11 (6.2%) | 0.663 | 0.152 ± 0.597 | 0.385 | 23.809 ± 11.284 | 0.408 | 0.338 ± 0.871 | 0.851 |
Private school/charter | 78 | 6 (7.7%) | 6 (7.7%) | 0.087 ± 0.329 | 8.333 ± 8.333 | 0.300 ± 0.470 | |||||
Urban school | 163 | 16 (9.8%) | 0.119 | 14 (8.6%) | 0.101 | 0.171 ± 0.614 | 0.124 | 17.708 ± 8.801 | 0.736 | 0.695 ± 0.973 | 0.009 * |
Rural school | 92 | 4 (4.3%) | 3 (3.3%) | 0.065 ± 0.324 | 25.000 ± 25.000 | 0.193 ± 0.673 | |||||
12 years old | 230 | ||||||||||
Boys | 125 | 31 (24.8%) | 0.336 | 13 (10.4%) | 0.491 | 0.552 ± 1.167 | 0.710 | 65.053 ± 8.165 | 0.810 | 1.815 ± 1.486 | 0.498 |
Girls | 105 | 32 (30.5%) | 14 (13.3%) | 0.609 ± 1.1643 | 62.239 ± 8.316 | 1.589 ± 1.427 | |||||
Public school | 159 | 49 (30.8%) | 0.081 | 24 (15.1%) | 0.018 * | 0.6918 ± 1.27 | 0.026 * | 56.802 ± 6.824 | 0.026 * | 1.963 ± 1.465 | 0.011 * |
Private school/charter | 71 | 14 (19.7%) | 3 (4.2%) | 0.323 ± 0.824 | 87.500 ± 7.752 | 1.045 ± 1.214 | |||||
Urban school | 140 | 36 (25.7%) | 0.477 | 14 (10%) | 0.307 | 0.4857 ± 1.042 | 0.133 | 65.740 ± 7.656 | 0.676 | 1.900 ± 1.295 | 0.341 |
Rural school | 90 | 27 (30%) | 13 (14.4%) | 0.722 ± 1.324 | 60.802 ± 8.971 | 1.574 ± 1.542 | |||||
15 years old | 233 | ||||||||||
Boys | 112 | 47 (42%) | 0.298 | 14 (12.5%) | 0.827 | 1.084 ± 1.831 | 0.978 | 72.553 ± 6.221 | 0.366 | 3.114 ± 2.111 | 0.249 |
Girls | 121 | 59 (48.8%) | 14 (11.6%) | 1.074 ± 1.472 | 79.548 ± 4.762 | 2.651 ± 1.395 | |||||
Public school | 190 | 93 (48.9%) | 0.026 * | 25 (13.2%) | 0.260 | 1.178 ± 1.724 | 0.048 * | 76.379 ± 4.109 | 0.963 | 2.871 ± 1.809 | 0.854 |
Private school/charter | 43 | 13 (30.2%) | 3 (7%) | 0.627 ± 1.195 | 76.923 ± 10.764 | 2.75 ± 1.281 | |||||
Urban school | 101 | 33 (32.7%) | <0.001 * | 8 (7.9%) | 0.093 | 0.673 ± 1.225 | <0.001 * | 80.303 ± 6.424 | 0.500 | 2.293 ± 1.353 | 0.039 * |
Rural school | 132 | 73 (55.3%) | 20 (15.2%) | 1.386 ± 1.860 | 74.703 ± 4.744 | 3.156 ± 1.880 |
n | Prevalence of Caries (%) | Prevalence of Active Caries Lesions (%) | p | Caries Index Dmft/DMFT ± SD | p | Restorative Index RI ± SE | p | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5–6 years old, primary | 255 | % | p-Value (Chi-square) | p-Value (Chi-square) | p-Value (ANOVA) | p-Value (ANOVA) | |||
1. Elementary | 12 | 8 (66.7%) | 6 (50%) | 3.333 ± 3.393 | 40.71 ± 14.64 | ||||
2. Secondary | 31 | 14 (45.2%) | 0.50 | 10 (32.3%) | 0.093 | 1.322 ± 2.135 | 0.001 * | 28.571 ± 12.529 | 0.562 |
3. Higher | 50 | 15 (30%) | 10 (20%) | 0.800 ± 1.616 | 46.944 ± 12.256 | ||||
Unknown | 125 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
5–6 years old, permanent | 255 | ||||||||
1. Elementary | 12 | 1 (8.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0.083 ± 0.288 | 0 | - | |||
2. Secondary | 31 | 2 (6.5%) | 0.793 | 1 (6.5%) | 0.793 | 0.0645 ± 0.249 | 0.969 | 0 | - |
3. Higher | 50 | 2 (4%) | 2 (4%) | 0.060 ± 0.313 | 0 | - | |||
Unknown | 125 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
12 years old | 230 | ||||||||
1. Elementary | 12 | 6 (50%) | 5 (41.7%) | 1.333 ± 1.669 | 27.777 ± 18.087 | ||||
2. Secondary | 40 | 13 (32.5%) | 0.033 * | 3 (7.5%) | <0.001 * | 0.650 ± 1.166 | 0.010 * | 76.923 ± 12.162 | 0.055 |
3. Higher | 85 | 16 (18.8%) | 5 (5.9%) | 0.364 ± 0.884 | 75.000 ± 10.206 | ||||
Unknown | 72 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
15 years old | 233 | ||||||||
1. Elementary | 8 | 3 (37.5%) | 0 | 0.750 ± 1.164 | 100 | ||||
2. Secondary | 55 | 31 (56.4%) | 0.103 | 10 (18.2%) | 0.083 | 1.363 ± 1.637 | 0.196 | 72.688 ± 7.378 | 0.438 |
3. Higher | 143 | 57 (39.9%) | 12 (8.4%) | 0.916 ± 1.629 | 79.678 ± 5.028 | ||||
Unknown | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Vallejos, D.; Coll, I.; López-Safont, N. Association Between the Oral Health Status and Sociodemographic Factors Among 5–15-Year-Old Schoolchildren from Mallorca, Spain—A Cross-Sectional Study. Children 2025, 12, 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040527
Vallejos D, Coll I, López-Safont N. Association Between the Oral Health Status and Sociodemographic Factors Among 5–15-Year-Old Schoolchildren from Mallorca, Spain—A Cross-Sectional Study. Children. 2025; 12(4):527. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040527
Chicago/Turabian StyleVallejos, Daniela, Irene Coll, and Nora López-Safont. 2025. "Association Between the Oral Health Status and Sociodemographic Factors Among 5–15-Year-Old Schoolchildren from Mallorca, Spain—A Cross-Sectional Study" Children 12, no. 4: 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040527
APA StyleVallejos, D., Coll, I., & López-Safont, N. (2025). Association Between the Oral Health Status and Sociodemographic Factors Among 5–15-Year-Old Schoolchildren from Mallorca, Spain—A Cross-Sectional Study. Children, 12(4), 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040527