Oral Health Problems and Utilization of Dental Services among Spanish and Immigrant Children and Adolescents

Silvia Portero de la Cruz and Jesús Cebrino
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Silvia Portero de la Cruz: Department of Nursing, Pharmacology and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Córdoba, Avda. Menéndez Pidal, S/N, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Jesús Cebrino: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Seville, Avda. Doctor Fedriani, S/N, 41009 Seville, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: Spanish and immigrant children and adolescents vary widely in their frequency of dental visits and occurrence of dental problems. The aims of this study were to discover the prevalence of dental problems and utilization of dental services in the Spanish and immigrant child population, identify the type of treatment received, and analyze the socioeconomic and demographic variables which are associated with dental problems and non-regular utilization of dental services, based on data from the 2017 National Health Survey in Spain. The sample consisted of 4568 children aged between 3 and 14 years old. Utilization of dental services and dental problems were assessed against socioeconomic and demographic characteristics using logistic regression models. The prevalence of caries in Spanish children was 9.29% compared with 18.58% ( p < 0.001) in their immigrant counterparts. The most common reason for dental visits was a check-up (Spanish: 65.05%; immigrants: 54.94%). In both groups, from the age of 7, there was a lower probability of non-regular utilization of dental services, although this increased when the social class was lower. The probability of presenting dental problems was lower in Spanish children living in towns with over 10,000 inhabitants and was higher, in both groups, over the age of 7 and in lower social classes.

Keywords: adolescent; child; dental health services; emigrants and immigrants; oral health; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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