Abstract
Spanish and immigrant children and adolescents vary widely in their frequency of dental visits and occurrence of dental problems. The aims of this study were to discover the prevalence of dental problems and utilization of dental services in the Spanish and immigrant child population, identify the type of treatment received, and analyze the socioeconomic and demographic variables which are associated with dental problems and non-regular utilization of dental services, based on data from the 2017 National Health Survey in Spain. The sample consisted of 4568 children aged between 3 and 14 years old. Utilization of dental services and dental problems were assessed against socioeconomic and demographic characteristics using logistic regression models. The prevalence of caries in Spanish children was 9.29% compared with 18.58% (p < 0.001) in their immigrant counterparts. The most common reason for dental visits was a check-up (Spanish: 65.05%; immigrants: 54.94%). In both groups, from the age of 7, there was a lower probability of non-regular utilization of dental services, although this increased when the social class was lower. The probability of presenting dental problems was lower in Spanish children living in towns with over 10,000 inhabitants and was higher, in both groups, over the age of 7 and in lower social classes.
Highlights
Dental health problems include a wide range of chronic clinical conditions, from tooth decay or periodontal disease to oral cancers
The main objectives of the present study were : (i) to discover how frequently dental services are used and the prevalence of dental health problems in Spanish and immigrant children; (ii) to identify the type of treatment received during dental health visits; and (iii) to analyze the socioeconomic and demographic variables which influence the non-regular utilization of dental health services and the presence of dental health problems
Children living in single-parent families are more likely to pick up poor habits of oral hygiene and have higher rates of caries in early childhood [28], this study found no links between family structure and the existence of dental health problems
Summary
Dental health problems include a wide range of chronic clinical conditions, from tooth decay or periodontal disease to oral cancers. It has been shown that in Spain, the European country with the fourth highest percentage of immigrants in the population (9.72%) [6], the frequency of utilization of dental services is lower among immigrant children compared with Spanish children [7]. This group is in a disadvantaged social and economic position, and is more vulnerable to problems of dental health and access to dental health services [8]
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