Community and individual socioeconomic inequalities and dental caries from childhood to adolescence: A 10-year cohort study

PurposeTo evaluate the effect of individual and contextual socioeconomic inequalities in the occurrence of untreated dental caries during the transition from childhood to adolescence.MethodsThis 10-year prospective cohort study followed up an initial sample of 639 1-5 years old schoolchildren from southern Brazil. After 7 and 10 years from the baseline (T1), two other reassessments were conducted (T2 and T3), respectively. Untreated dental caries was measured through the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS- scores 3, 5 and 6) at T1 and T3. Socioeconomic status (SES) at the contextual and individual level was assessed at T1. At T2, socioeconomic, behavioural and psychosocial characteristics were evaluated as possible pathways of explanation. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the direct and indirect effects among the variables over 10 years.ResultsA total of 429 adolescents were reevaluated at 10-year follow-up (cohort retention rate of 67.1%). About 30.6% presented untreated dental caries at T3. Low individual SES at T1 directly impacted a higher occurrence of dental caries at T3. Non-white skin colour at T1 also indirectly impacted a higher occurrence of dental caries at T3 through low individual SES at T1 and lower household income at T2. Contextual SES did not predict, directly or indirectly, dental caries at T3.ConclusionThere is strong evidence that socioeconomic inequalities at the individual level play an important role on the occurrence of dental caries from childhood to adolescence. On the other hand, there was no evidence that contextual SES influences the occurrence of dental caries over time.