Factors affecting levels of untreated caries in a sample of 14-15-year-old adolescents in Northern Ireland.

UNLABELLED: Dental caries experience in children in Northern Ireland is the highest in the United Kingdom. OBJECTIVE: The aims were to examine the levels of untreated decay in a sample of 14-15-year-old children from an area known to have high dental needs and to relate them to factors which affect dental attendance. METHOD: A sample of 470 pupils aged 14-15 years who attended the 4th form of second level schools in North and West Belfast was obtained and closed questionnaires were distributed 2 weeks prior to the dental examination. RESULTS: 417 pupils were included in the analysis (inclusion rate 88.7%). The mean D value was 1.52 and the D/DMFT mean was 0.31. Individual factors which had significant associations with untreated decay were social class, time since the last dental visit, dental anxiety ratings and the type of dentist attended (mean D of 2.78 for those attending community service dentists and 1.24 for those attending general dental practitioners). Stepwise multiple regression models were constructed with dependent variables of D and the D/DMFT ratio, and the above independent variables remained significantly related to the outcome variables, with the exception of the type of dentist attended. Those attending the community service had higher social needs and longer intervals since dental treatment. CONCLUSION: Factors related to dental attendance are important in relation to the level of untreated decay but exclusive analysis of the type of dental service attended can be misleading. An active approach is required in order to improve the status of pupils with the highest needs.