Dental caries in 5-year-old children attending multi-ethnic schools in Greater Glasgow--the impact of ethnic background and levels of deprivation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine levels of dental caries of 5-year-olds attending multi-ethnic schools in Greater Glasgow and to explore the effects of deprived backgrounds and ethnic identity on their dental health. DESIGN: Between October 2001 and February 2002 a cross-sectional dental epidemiology survey of a sample of 721 5-year-olds was undertaken in schools having at least 25 per cent of pupils from black or minority ethnic groups. Background data on participating children were obtained from school records, including: ethnic origin, mothers' ability to speak English, religion, and demographics. Statistical analyses included two way analysis of variance to determine the effect of ethnicity after adjusting for socio-economic factors. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 649 (90%) children. The sample broadly divided into white (52%), Pakistani (33%), and other minority ethnic groups (15%). Based on repeat observations, diagnosis reliability was good (Kappa = 0.77). The caries experience of Pakistani children (d3mft = 4.1; 95% CI 3.6 to 4.6) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the white children (d3mft = 2.3; 95% CI 1.9 to 2.6). Only 25% (95% C1 17 to 34) of the Pakistani children had no obvious decay, significantly lower (p < 0.001) than their white contemporaries (48%, 95% CI 39 to 58). Pakistani ethnic origin was associated with significantly higher levels of dental caries (p < 0.001), after adjusting for socio-economic deprivation. CONCLUSION: Children from deprived backgrounds have worse dental caries levels than their affluent counterparts and, over and above this effect, minority ethnic children of Pakistani background have higher levels than their white peers.

The dental health of 10-year-old children attending multi-racial schools in Greater Glasgow.

The aim of this study was to determine whether an inequality in caries experience existed for permanent teeth between Asian and white primary 7 schoolchildren (mean age 10.59 years, SE 0.03 years) attending Greater Glasgow schools. In 1989, all 18 schools in Greater Glasgow with at least 25% of its pupils from an Asian background participated in the study. All the schools selected by this method were located in areas of multiple deprivation according to both the ACORN neighbourhood classification and the Jarman social deprivation score. Five hundred and sixteen children were examined. The Asian population as a whole (n = 241, DMFT = 0.95) and each of the subgroups, Muslim with English-speaking mothers (ES) (n = 67, DMFT = 1.24), and non-English-speaking mothers (NES) (n = 130, DMFT = 0.93), non-Muslim with ES mothers (n = 24, DMFT = 0.38) and NES mothers (n = 20, DMFT = 0.90), had a better caries experience of the first permanent molar than that of the white indigenous population (n = 242, DMFT = 1.52). This trend was also seen in the percentage of children with sound first permanent molars: white = 39%, Asian (total) = 54%, Muslim (ES) = 43% and (NES) = 56%, non-Muslim (ES) = 71% and (NES) = 60%. It is concluded that the inequality in caries experience reported in the primary dentition between young Asian and indigenous schoolchildren is not apparent for permanent teeth in children attending primary 7 classes in multiracial schools.