Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to rank the risk factors for dental caries among first-year university students in Nice (France).MethodsAll first-year students are required to undergo a compulsory preventive medical examination. Among these students, volunteers were offered a dental visit. Information was collected through an interview followed by an oral examination. We assessed the volunteers’ oral hygiene habits (daily toothbrushing frequency, type of toothbrush used, frequency of toothbrush replacement, place of toothpaste purchase, and flossing), daily health-related behaviors (number of main daily meals, daily sugary intakes, smoking, alcohol consumption, consumption of cannabis or other drugs), oral-health-related behaviors (self-reported oral health, dental visits during the past year, reason for the last dental consultation, and failure to seek dental care due to financial reasons), and oral health issues (dental crowding, oral hygiene, presence of caries, presence of pit and fissure sealant remnants). The dependent variable was the presence of at least one untreated carious lesion. The data were subjected to univariate analyses to select explanatory variables, and subsequently, a logistic regression was performed.ResultsSix hundred twenty-nine students aged 18.8±1.6 years were enrolled in this study. The sex ratio was 0.72, with a strong predominance of the female gender. Only 59.3% of the students had never experienced dental caries, while 22.4% had already undergone restorative procedures and did not have any carious lesion at the time of the examination, and 11.6% presented with carious lesions and had never been treated by a dentist. Lastly, 6.7% had carious lesions despite evidence of prior restorative procedures. The multivariate analysis revealed the following pejorative risk factors: failure to seek dental care due to financial reasons (OR:3.06, 95% CI: 1.40–6.70), poor oral hygiene revealed during the oral examination (OR:2.59, 95% CI: 1.60–4.20), and poor self-reported oral health (OR:2.43, 95% CI: 1.24–4.77). Conversely, the analysis revealed the following protective factors: preventive visits to the dentist (OR:0.63, 95% CI: 0.41–0.99), the use of an electric toothbrush (OR:0.36, 95% CI: 0.17–0.77), and sealant remnants (OR:0.22, 95% CI: 0.05–0.97).ConclusionsThe highest-ranking caries risk factor for the study population was the financial barrier.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to rank the risk factors for dental caries among first-year university students in Nice (France)
In France, toothpastes sold in pharmacies need a special authorization (AMM) because the amount of fluorides is high (1500 ppm and more), and they are considered as medicines
The multivariate analysis identified pejorative risk factors and ranked them as follows: failure to seek dental care due to financial reasons (OR:3.06, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.40– 6.70), poor oral hygiene revealed during the oral examination (OR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.60–4.20), and poor selfreported oral health (OR: 2.43, 95% CI: 1.24–4.77) (Table 4)
Summary
The purpose of this study was to rank the risk factors for dental caries among first-year university students in Nice (France). In 2006, a French national report revealed that university students neglected their health [1] These young adults think they are healthy and feel invulnerable. Caries is related to one’s lifestyle, and behavioral factors under a person’s control are clearly implicated [3,4,5,6] These factors include poor oral hygiene [7,8,9] and poor dietary habits [10,11,12,13]. In France, toothpastes sold in pharmacies need a special authorization (AMM) because the amount of fluorides is high (1500 ppm and more), and they are considered as medicines Because they are less fluoridated (1450 ppm and less), toothpastes in supermarkets are considered as hygiene products
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have