Socioeconomic Gradients in General and Oral Health of Primary School Children in Shiraz, Iran

Overview

Journal F1000Res

Specialties Biomedical Engineering
Science

Date 2016 May 31

PMID 27239279

Citations 7

Authors

Ali Golkari

Aira Sabokseir

Aubrey Sheiham

Richard G Watt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Health status is largely determined by socio-economic status. The general health of individuals at higher social hierarchy is better than people in lower levels. Likewise, people with higher socio-economic status have better oral health than lower socio-economic groups. There has not been much work regarding the influence of socio-economic status on the health conditions of children in developing countries, particularly in Iran. The aim of this study was to compare the oral and general health conditions of primary school children of three different socio-economic areas in the city of Shiraz, Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 335, 8- to 11-year-old primary schoolchildren in Shiraz. The children were selected by a three-stage cluster sampling method from three socio-economically different areas. Tools and methods used by the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council were used to obtain anthropometric variables as indicators of general health. The Decay, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index for permanent teeth, dmft Index for primary teeth, the Modified Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) Index, the Gingival Index (GI) and the Debris Index-Simplified (DI-S) were used for oral health assessment.

Results: Height (P<0.001), weight (P<0.001), and BMI (P=0.001) significantly increased as the socio-economic status of area increased. GI score (P<0.001), DI-S score (P<0.001), number of permanent teeth with DDE (P=0.008), and number of DDE lesions in permanent teeth (P=0.008) significantly decreased as the socio-economic status of area increased.

Discussion: Findings of this study generally confirmed that social gradients exist in both general and oral health status of the primary schoolchildren of Shiraz. The influence of socio-economic status on health condition means children have different life chances based on their socio-economic conditions. These findings emphasize the significance of interventions for tackling socio-economic inequalities in order to improve the health status of children in lower socio-economic areas.

Citing Articles

An educational intervention using the health belief model for improvement of oral health behavior in grade-schoolers: a randomized controlled trial.

Sanaeinasab H, Saffari M, Taghavi H, Karimi Zarchi A, Rahmati F, Zaben F BMC Oral Health. 2022; 22(1):94.

PMID: 35346148 PMC: 8962588. DOI: 10.1186/s12903-022-02132-2.

The Change in DMFT of Six-Grade Primary School Children in Shiraz two Years after Implementation of the National Oral Health Reform Plan.

Zandi-Ghashghai N, Sabokseir A, Golkari A J Dent (Shiraz). 2020; 21(3):234-238.

PMID: 33062818 PMC: 7519934. DOI: 10.30476/DENTJODS.2020.82850.1033.

Dental Caries Status and its Related Factors in Iran: A Meta-Analysis.

Soltani M, Sayadizadeh M, Raeisi Estabragh S, Ghannadan K, Malek-Mohammadi M J Dent (Shiraz). 2020; 21(3):158-176.

PMID: 33062809 PMC: 7519938. DOI: 10.30476/DENTJODS.2020.82596.1024.

Child and Parent Demographic Characteristics and Oral Health Perceptions Associated with Clinically Measured Oral Health.

Marcus M, Maida C, Wang Y, Xiong D, Hays R, Coulter I JDR Clin Trans Res. 2019; 3(3):302-313.

PMID: 30938594 PMC: 6794669. DOI: 10.1177/2380084418774549.

Masterson E, Fitzpatrick A, Enquobahrie D, Mancl L, Conde E, Hujoel P Am J Phys Anthropol. 2017; 164(2):416-423.

PMID: 28752513 PMC: 5607097. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23283.

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