Socioeconomic Status and Toothbrushing in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australian Children

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries in children is a multifactorial and complex condition. Toothbrushing helps maintain good oral hygiene and delivers fluoride. However, determinants of toothbrushing could vary based on Indigenous status. Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between socioeconomic status and adequate toothbrushing practice (brushing twice or more a day) in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children. Methods: Data were acquired from the National Child Oral Health Survey (NCOHS) 2012 to 2014. NCOHS administered questionnaires to parents of a representative sample of 24,215 Australian children aged 5 to 14 y recruited using a complex sampling method. Data on the frequency of toothbrushing and socioeconomic status were collected through the questionnaires. Statistical analysis was conducted progressively from bivariate to multivariable regression modeling, stratified by Indigenous status. Results: Just over half of Indigenous children and over two-thirds of non-Indigenous children reported adequate toothbrushing. The prevalence of adequate brushing (twice or more a day) was 42% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.84) higher among children with an overseas-born parent than those with Australian-born parents. Among non-Indigenous children, sex and age, parents’ country of birth, number of children in the family, and other family socioeconomic indicators (education, income, private health insurance) were associated with adequate toothbrushing. The prevalence of adequate brushing was 1.09 (95% CI, 1.03–1.15) and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.10–1.21) times higher when their parent possessed vocational training and tertiary education, respectively, compared to those children whose parents had school-level education. Conclusions: There were differences in patterns of socioeconomic disparities for toothbrushing practices between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children. Knowledge Transfer Statement: To promote positive toothbrushing practices in children, dental clinicians and public health professionals must be aware of the determinants of toothbrushing practices. Socioeconomic disparities in toothbrushing frequency were more apparent in non-Indigenous children. These results will help develop population-specific interventions that tackle the determinants to help improve oral hygiene behavior in Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.

Periodontal Disease Risk Factors Assessment in Association with Frequency of Tooth Brushing

“…In the present study the estimated percentage of brushing frequency was four times more in females than males and was in accordance with a study carried out by Farsi et al 16 . The percentage of patients with bleeding gums was almost equal in both the genders with a mere difference of 0.2% in contrast to a study carried out among undergraduate students from King Saud University, College of Dentistry where gingival bleeding was more in females as compared to the males 17 . Halitosis is a common feature of poor oral hygiene 16 and that was clearly evident in this study with a higher ration in male than female as reported in another study.…”

“…Halitosis is a common feature of poor oral hygiene 16 and that was clearly evident in this study with a higher ration in male than female as reported in another study. 17 According to the results of our study gingival recession was encountered in 77% male and 12% female, a higher number of males might be accredited to poor oral Hygiene maintenance and incorporating the habit of smoking as there is a positive relationship between gingival recession and smoking.…”

Social Justice in Dental Research

“…For Indigenous children, those with 1 parent born outside Australia were more likely to brush more frequently. These findings indicate that cultural differences that may also have an impact on oral health and disease exist within apparently homogeneous communities (Fernando et al 2023).…”

“…Also in this issue, Fernando et al (2023) examined the sociodemographic status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in Australia and its association with toothbrushing frequency. Their findings suggest that, while sociodemographic status is associated with lower toothbrushing frequency in non-Indigenous children, this was not the case with Indigenous children.…”

Influence of low Socioeconomic level on the deficiency of dental brushing in school children

“…Las desigualdades socioeconómicas en el cepillado dental fueron más visibles en los niños no indígenas. Estos resultados beneficiarán al incremento de intervenciones necesarias para la sociedad, y ayudara a mejorar el buen uso de la higiene oral en niños, tanto indígenas, como no indígenas 3 .…”