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BMC Medical Research Methodology
Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology 1/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Research article

Can type of school be used as an alternative indicator of socioeconomic status in dental caries studies? A cross-sectional study

Authors: Chaiana Piovesan, Monica Carneiro Pádua, Thiago Machado Ardenghi, Fausto Medeiros Mendes, Gabriela Cunha Bonini

Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology | Issue 1/2011

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Abstract

Background

Despite the importance of collecting individual data of socioeconomic status (SES) in epidemiological oral health surveys with children, this procedure relies on the parents as respondents. Therefore, type of school (public or private schools) could be used as an alternative indicator of SES, instead of collecting data individually. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the variable type of school as an indicator of socioeconomic status as a substitute of individual data in an epidemiological survey about dental caries in Brazilian preschool children.

Methods

This study followed a cross-sectional design, with a random sample of 411 preschool children aged 1 to 5 years, representative of Catalão, Brazil. A calibrated examiner evaluated the prevalence of dental caries and parents or guardians provided information about several individual socioeconomic indicators by means of a semi-structured questionnaire. A multilevel approach was used to investigate the association among individual socioeconomic variables, as well as the type of school, and the outcome.

Results

When all significant variables in the univariate analysis were used in the multiple model, only mother's schooling and household income (individual socioeconomic variables) presented significant associations with presence of dental caries, and the type of school was not significantly associated. However, when the type of school was used alone, children of public school presented significantly higher prevalence of dental caries than those enrolled in private schools.

Conclusions

The type of school used as an alternative indicator for socioeconomic status is a feasible predictor for caries experience in epidemiological dental caries studies involving preschool children in Brazilian context.
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Metadata
Title
Can type of school be used as an alternative indicator of socioeconomic status in dental caries studies? A cross-sectional study
Authors
Chaiana Piovesan
Monica Carneiro Pádua
Thiago Machado Ardenghi
Fausto Medeiros Mendes
Gabriela Cunha Bonini
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Research Methodology / Issue 1/2011
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2288
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-37

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