Dental caries prevalence and dental health care of Mexican-American workers' children. 1998

C Nurko, and L Aponte-Merced, and E L Bradley, and L Fox
University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and the use of dental services in a pediatric population of Mexican-American migrant workers. The results were compared with the Mexican-American child population from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). One hundred thirty three-to-sixteen-year-old children participated in the study. The children who were born in Mexico and those who spoke Spanish had seen the dentist less often and had a higher incidence of decayed teeth than those who were born in the US and than those who spoke English (p < 0.05). The children from low-income families had visited the dentist less frequently and did so at an older age than those from high income families (p < 0.05). When compared with HHANES, the children in this study visited the dentist at an older age, had been to the dentist less often, were less likely to have dental insurance, and had a higher incidence of dental caries than the children from HHANES (p > 0.05). This study demonstrated a general lack of dental health knowledge, a disproportionate prevalence of decayed teeth and unmet dental need in the Mexican-American migrant workers' children.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007347 Insurance, Dental Insurance providing coverage for dental care. Prepaid Dental Care,Care, Prepaid Dental,Dental Care Plan,Dental Insurance,Plan, Dental Care,Plans, Dental Care,Dental Care Plans,Dental Care, Prepaid
D007802 Language A verbal or nonverbal means of communicating ideas or feelings. Dialect,Dialects,Languages
D008297 Male Males
D009911 Oral Hygiene Index A combination of the debris index and the dental calculus index to determine the status of oral hygiene. Oral Hygiene Indexes,Hygiene Indexe, Oral,Hygiene Indexes, Oral,Index, Oral Hygiene,Indexe, Oral Hygiene,Indexes, Oral Hygiene,Indices, Oral Hygiene,Oral Hygiene Indexe,Oral Hygiene Indices
D011203 Poverty A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level. Federal Poverty Level,Federal Poverty Threshold,Indigency,Low-Income Population,Absolute Poverty,Extreme Poverty,Indigents,Low Income Population,Federal Poverty Levels,Indigent,Level, Federal Poverty,Low Income Populations,Low-Income Populations,Population, Low Income,Population, Low-Income,Poverty Level, Federal,Poverty Threshold, Federal,Poverty, Absolute,Poverty, Extreme
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D003731 Dental Caries Localized destruction of the tooth surface initiated by decalcification of the enamel followed by enzymatic lysis of organic structures and leading to cavity formation. If left unchecked, the cavity may penetrate the enamel and dentin and reach the pulp. Caries, Dental,Carious Lesions,Dental Cavities,Dental Cavity,Dental Decay,Dental White Spots,Carious Dentin,Decay, Dental,Dental White Spot,White Spot, Dental,White Spots, Dental,Carious Dentins,Carious Lesion,Cavities, Dental,Cavity, Dental,Dentin, Carious,Dentins, Carious,Lesion, Carious,Lesions, Carious,Spot, Dental White,Spots, Dental White
D004245 DMF Index "Decayed, missing and filled teeth," a routinely used statistical concept in dentistry. Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth,DMF Indexes,DMF Indexe,DMF Indices,Index, DMF,Indexe, DMF,Indexes, DMF,Indices, DMF
D005260 Female Females

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