March 2008

Volume 25, Issue 1

Coronal caries experience in dentate Jordanian adults

Authors: R.A. Safadi A.A. Hamasha
doi: 10.1922/CDH_2134Hamasha05

Abstract

Objective To investigate, from current cross-sectional data, the relationships between dental caries experience of 12-year-old children in 29 countries of Europe and four independent variables: national wealth (GDP), expressed as purchasing power parity (PPPx1,000US$)/ capita/year; population per active dentist; sugar consumption, expressed as Kg/capita/year; and volume sales of toothpaste, expressed as litres/capita/year. Method Most of the data were abstracted from relevant websites. Information on toothpaste sales was from personal communication and obtainable for 16 countries of Western Europe only. Relationships were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation method. Results Mean DMFT showed a strong negative association with national GDP (rho = -0.729, p < 0.01), whilst toothpaste sales showed a statistically significant positive association with GDP (rho = 0.599, p < 0.05) as did sugar consumption (rho = 0.575, p < 0.01). Paradoxically, caries experience yielded a strong negative correlation with sugar consumption (rho = -0.561, p < 0.01) such that ranked increases in mean DMFT were significantly associated with decreasing levels of sugar consumption. None of the other rank correlations was statistically significant. Conclusions Unavoidable shortcomings of the available data and their incompleteness meant that any conclusions that could be drawn were speculative. A possible explanation for the anomalous association of low mean DMFT with high sugar consumption in Western Europe is that the extensive use of, mainly fluoride containing, toothpaste neutralises the potential damage from high sugar consumption. Use of sugar principally as a commercial food or drink additive in modern times, with potential for buffering of its acidic fermentation products, together with a possibly more rapid oral clearance of sugar in additive form, may also be a contributory factor. Key words: Correlation, dental caries, national wealth, population per dentist, sugar consumption, toothpaste sales

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Other articles in this issue

Article Pages Access
Editorial - Oral health promotion by the oral health products industry: unrecognised and unappreciated? 2-3 Download
Report of the EGOHID I Project 4-10 Download
Acknowledgment of referees 11-11 Download
Exposure to water fluoridation and caries increment 12-22 Download
A comparison of two methods for the evaluation of the daily urinary fluoride excretion in Romanian pre-school children 23-27 Download
A randomised control trial of oral health education provided by a health visitor to parents of pre-school children 28-32 Download
The influence of social indices on oral health and oral health behaviour in a group of Flemish socially deprived adolescents. 33-37 Download
Development of a shortened Japanese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) for young and middle-aged adults 38-43 Download
Parents’ views on factors influencing the dental health of Trinidadian pre-school children. 44-49 Download
Coronal caries experience in dentate Jordanian adults 50-54 Download
The prevalence of enamel opacities in permanent teeth of 11-12 year-old school children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 55-58 Download
Factors associated with restoration and extraction receipt among New Zealand children 59-64 Download

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