Integrating oral and social factors in individual caries risk assessments in preschool children—a registry-based study

• Published in: European archives of paediatric dentistry 2024-10, Vol.25 (5), p.695-705
• Main Authors: Hultquist, A. I., Levinsson, A., Robertson, A., Sabel, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age groups; Birth order; Children & youth; Data collection; Dentistry; Design factors; Disposable income; Families & family life; Fluorides; Gum disease; Medicine; Odontologi; Oral hygiene; Original Scientific; Original Scientific Article; Parents & parenting; Preschool children; Preschool education; Risk assessment; Siblings; Teeth; Urban areas
• ISSN: 1818-6300; 1996-9805; 1996-9805
• DOI: 10.1007/s40368-024-00928-0

Purpose To investigate the predictive ability of individual Caries Risk Assessments (CRA) regarding oral factors supplemented with social factors in relation to caries outcome in preschool children. Furthermore, to assess various models of CRA with oral and social factors included, aiming to identify the most suitable models for different age groups. Methods The design is a retrospective registry-based cohort study. Children visiting the dentists at ages 3 and 6 years were included. Data on oral and social factors were obtained from dental records, the Swedish Quality register for caries and periodontitis (SKaPa), and Statistics Sweden (SCB). Various models of CRA were designed, combining oral and social factors. Models were analyzed with univariable associations using simple logistic regression, and the results were presented as odds ratios (ORs). In addition, models were analyzed with area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Pairwise comparisons were conducted by DeLong’s test, with p