The national child odontology registry (SCOR): a valuable resource for odontological and public health research

Abstract

Background: Since 1972 The National Child Odontology Registry has collected data on the oral health of most of all Danish children and adolescents. However, comprehensive information on the registry has not previously been available, making it difficult to approach and use the registry for research purposes.

Methods: By combining historical documentation and simple descriptive statistics we provide an overview of major events in the timeline of The National Child Odontology Registry and discuss how they impact the available data. We provide a broad overview of the dental variables in the registry, and how the registration criteria for some of the core dental variables (gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries) have changed over time. We then provide examples of how aggregate variables for the core dental diseases, allowing for comparison across registration criteria, can be created.

Results: Most of the Danish population born during or after 1965 have a least one entry in the National Child Odontology Registry, with 68% having entries spanning their entire childhood and adolescence. The prevalence of gingivitis and periodontitis seem to increase significantly in the years immediately following changes in how registration criteria for these variables, raising questions as to whether these diseases are generally underreported, or subject to overreporting in the years following the registration changes. The mandatory ages of registration instituted in 2003, do not appear to have had a strong impact on the ages at which registrations are made. For variables not directly comparable across datasets due to changes in registration criteria aggregate variables of measurements can be computed in most cases.

Conclusions: The National Child Odontology Registry provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of childhood oral health on life trajectories, but using the registry is not without issues, and we strongly recommend consulting with experts in the field of odontology to ensure the best use of available data.

Keywords: Dental caries; Gingivitis; Oral health; Periodontitis; Registries.

Fig. 1

Mean entries in SCOR per individual by birth year. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of the number of entries in SCOR per individual by birth year

Fig. 2

Total number of registered visits by year of visit and year of report. Total number of registered visits by year of visit (A) and year of report (B). See Supplementary Table 2 (A) and Supplementary Table 4 (B) for the numbers underlying the figure

Fig. 3

Number of visits by age before and after 1993. See Supplementary Table 2 for the numbers underlying the figure

Fig. 4

Prevalence of gingivitis periodontitis, and caries by sex and age. Prevalence of gingivitis (A-B), periodontitis (C-D) and caries (E-F) by sex and age. Prevalence per 1000 individuals by sex (A, C and E) and at ages 5, 9, and 15 (B, D and F) for gingivitis (A and B), periodontitis (C and D), and caries (E and F)

Fig. 5

Mean entries in SCOR by presence/absence of gingivitis, periodontitis, and caries level. Mean entries in SCOR by presence/absence of gingivitis (A), periodontitis (B) and caries level (C)