27 January 2023

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Caries risk and social determinants of health

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Results from a study published Dec. 8, 2022, in the Journal of the American Dental Association show the association of caries risk with higher social deprivation, reinforcing the role of structural and upstream factors in oral health. The study is unique in using recorded ZIP Code information and assessing caries risk levels for those regions.

The research team used the BigMouth Dental Data Repository (n = 57,211) to extract clinical and SDH data from patients’ dental electronic health records for 2019. Caries risk categories were used as ZIP Code data was merged with the Social Deprivation Index, a composite measure of area-level deprivation based on seven demographic characteristics collected in the American Community Survey.

Results

The results showed that the odds of being in the high caries risk group were higher for people in the 49- to 64-year age group, people who had comorbidities including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and people with a Social Deprivation Index score above the 75th percentile. In addition, Hispanic and Black people had higher odds of being at high caries risk than other races or ethnicities.

Conclusions

This study shows the association of caries risk with higher social deprivation, reinforcing the role of structural and upstream factors in oral health. This study is unique in using recorded ZIP Code information and assessing caries risk levels for those regions.

Practical Implications

The physical and structural environment should be considered contributors to caries risk in people.

Juan Rodriguez et al. "Caries risk and social determinants of health: a big data report." JADA. December 08, 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.10.006