Exploring factors that influence child use of dental services and toothbrushing in New Zealand

Abstract

Objectives: To explore factors contributing to dental service use and toothbrushing among Mäori, Pacific and New Zealand European or Other (NZEO) children in New Zealand.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2002 National Child Nutrition Survey. Models representing demographic, socio-economic status (SES), lifestyle, dietary, food security and oral health paradigms were tested using logistic regression.

Results: Mäori and Pacific children were more likely to not attend for dental care (OR: 1.99 and 2.05 respectively) than NZEO children when age, sex and time lived in New Zealand were accounted for. The addition of household (OR: 1.93 and 2.05 respectively) or lifestyle (OR: 1.95 and 1.81 respectively) factors resulted in minimal OR changes for Mäori or Pacific child dental attendance, whereas addition of dietary (OR: 1.44 and 1.23 respectively) and food security (OR: 1.43 and 1.32 respectively) items reduced the ORs of Mäori and Pacific child dental attendance so they no longer differed significantly to NZEO children. Addition of dental factors increased the ORs of Mäori and Pacific children not utilizing dental services compared with NZEO children (OR: 2.30 and 2.13 respectively). Mäori and Pacific children were more likely to not brush teeth (OR: 3.86 and 1.49 respectively) than NZEO children when age, sex and time lived in New Zealand were accounted for. Addition of dietary factors resulted in a 36% OR reduction of Mäori children not brushing (OR: 2.57), while addition of household SES (OR: 1.06), lifestyle (OR: 1.14), dietary (OR: 0.71) or food security factors (OR: 1.19) reduced the ORs of Pacific children so they were no longer significantly different to NZEO children.

Conclusions: Mäori and Pacific children were more likely to have not received dental care (variance largely explained by dietary and food security factors) and Mäori children were more likely to not brush their teeth (variance largely explained by dietary items) than NZEO children.