Regional Disparities in Caries Experience and Associating Factors of Ghanaian Children Aged 3 to 13 Years in Urban Accra and Rural Kpando

Structural determinants explain caries differences among preschool children in Chile's Metropolitan Region

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the association between Social Determinants of Health (structural and intermediate) and caries indicators in Chile's Metropolitan Region preschool children.

METHODS

A multilevel cross-sectional study of Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and caries in children aged 1 to 6 years in Chile's Metropolitan Region was conducted in 2014-2015, with three levels: district, school and child. Caries were assessed by the dmft-index and the prevalence of untreated caries. The structural determinants analyzed were Community Human Development Index (CHDI), urban/rural location, school type, caregiver's education and family income. Poisson multilevel regression models were fit.

RESULTS

The sample size was 2,275 children from 40 schools in 13 districts. While the highest CHDI district had an untreated caries prevalence of 17.1% (12.3-22.7%), in the most disadvantaged district it was 53.9% (95% CI 46.0-61.6%). As family income increased, the probability of untreated caries prevalence decreased (PR = 0.9 95% CI 0.8-1.0). Rural districts had an average dmft-index of 7.3 (95% CI 7.2-7.4), while in urban districts, it was 4.4 (95% CI 4.3-4.5). Higher probabilities of untreated caries prevalence (PR = 3.0 95% CI 2.3-3.9) were observed in rural children. Greater probabilities of untreated caries prevalence (PR = 1.3 95% CI 1.1-1.6) and prevalence of caries experience (PR = 1.3 95% CI 1.1-1.5) were observed in children whose caregivers had a secondary educational level.

CONCLUSIONS

A strong association was observed between the social determinants of health, specifically the structural ones, and the caries indicators studied in children of the Metropolitan Region of Chile. There were notable differences in caries between districts according to social advantage. Rurality and caregiver's education were the most consistent predictors.

Evaluation of Oral Hygiene-Related Mobile Apps for Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, oral health is a real epidemiological challenge. Mobile applications represent a hope for the learning of oral hygiene in children and the fight against oral diseases. This study overviews and assesses the quality of mobile applications linked to oral hygiene for children currently featured on the iOS and Android stores in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten oral health professionals (OHP) used the French Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS-F) to rate 15 selected applications. The highest MARS-F scores for overall quality were reported for Bonne nuit Caillou (3.89 ± 0.74), Mon Raccoon (3.63 ± 0.95), and Chomper Chums (3.54 ± 0.54) while the lowest MARS-F scores for overall quality were achieved by Brushing time (2.31 ± 0.61), De belles dents (2.55 ± 0.55) and Brushing Hero (2.77 ± 0.53). The subjective quality scores ranged from 1.50 ± 0.68 for Brushing time to 3.25 ± 0.97 for Bonne nuit Caillou. Specificity scores ranged from 1.95 ± 0.88 (Brushing time) to 3.75 ± 0.84 (Bonne nuit Caillou). Thus, OHP rated positively the quality of the majority of mobile applications linked to oral hygiene for children, their effect on users' knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to change, and the probability of effective oral hygiene behavior modification. They stated that they would recommend their use to their patients who need them. However, studies analyzing the change in oral hygiene behavior of children using these apps need to be conducted.