Dental health capacity of the first permanent molars among children and adolescents in Korea for the year 2010

Abstract

Copyright © 2013 by Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to estimate the dental health capacity of the first permanent molars among children and adolescents in Korea and to assess its related factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from the Korea National Oral Health Survey (2006 and 2010). The subjects of the present study included a total of 34,975 people aged 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 years (5,347 in 2006 and 29,628 in 2010). The dental health capacity of the first permanent molars was calculated using Clune’s methods. Changes in dental health capacity were analyzed according to year, age, sex, and region. We used a multiple regression model to identify relevant factors for dental health capacity of the first permanent molars. Results: The dental health capacity values were calculated according to age group as follows: 6 years, 99.66%; 12 years, 96.50%; and 15 years, 95.24%. The dental health capacity in 2010 was estimated to be higher than that in the year 2006. The increment rate of dental health capacity was higher for girls than for boys. The dental health capacity of the first permanent molars was related to the following factors: year, age, sex, region, perceived oral health status, frequency of tooth brushing per day, frequency of cariogenic snack intake per day, and number of teeth with pit and fissure sealant. Among these factors, number of teeth with pit and fissure sealant had the greatest effect on the dental health capacity of the first permanent molars. Conclusions: The dental health capacity of the first permanent molars was higher in rural areas than in the metropolis and cities. Therefore, the pit and fissure sealant program, apart from the health insurance coverage, must be revitalized for children and adolescents in rural areas.