Sociodemographic Variation of Caries Risk Factors in Toddlers and Caregivers
Table 2
Relationships of race/ethnicity, education, and income with questionnaire responses for dental and medical health practices of the primary caregiver (PCG) and the toddler. Analyses were performed for each questionnaire item using multivariable logistic or linear regression models with race/ethnicity, income, and education as predictors. Race/ethnicity -values are for the overall test of any difference among the three groups. Questionnaire item numbers are listed in the left-most column (see the appendix for questionnaire). (%) or Mean(SD) for race/ethnicity, odds ratio (OR) or correlation (R) for education and income. NH-AA = Non-Hispanic African-American, NH-W = Non-Hispanic White.
PCG Race/Ethnicity
PCG Education
PCG Income
Hispanic ()
NH-AA ()
NH-W ()
-value
OR/R
-value
OR/R
-value
Q6
PCG helps child brush
71(95%)
167(95%)
128(91%)
.0649
1.2
.5586
1.1
.2882
Q8
Child uses fluoride toothpaste
34(45%)
82(47%)
62(44%)
.0846
0.9
.5281
1.0
.9273
Q9
PCG checks child for cavities
53(71%)
85(49%)
71(50%)
.0337
0.7
.0046
0.9
.4050
Q36
Start Brush for 1st Tooth
13(17%)
46(26%)
53(38%)
.0243
1.1
.3197
1.0
.6055
Q37
Frequency of child's brushing
2.3(1.2)
1.9(0.8)
1.8(0.9)
.0055
−0.09
.9872
−0.07
.2822
Q38
Frequency of PCG's brushing
1.3(0.5)
1.5(0.7)
1.4(0.6)
.0611
−0.04
.9771
−0.10
.2039
Q39
Frequency of PCG's flossing
4.3(1.7)
4.1(1.7)
3.7(1.5)
.4248
−0.25
.0030
−0.23
.0731
Q49
Child's dental health
2.8(1.1)
2.1(1.0)
2.0(0.9)
.0001
−0.15
.3530
−0.12
.4345
Q50
Taking care of child's dental health
3.1(0.9)
2.4(1.0)
2.5(0.9)
.0001
−0.01
.2670
0.00
.6502
Q51
Child's medical health
2.1(0.9)
1.6(0.8)
1.7(0.7)
.0003
−0.08
.9636
−0.07
.2382
Q52
Taking care of child's medical health
2.2(0.9)
1.4(0.6)
1.6(0.7)
.0001
−0.12
.3430
−0.05
.7470
Q53
PCG's dental health
3.9(0.8)
3.5(1.1)
3.3(1.1)
.0906
−0.32
.0059
−0.35
.0001
Q54
Taking care of own dental health
3.6(0.8)
3.2(1.1)
3.0(1.0)
.0285
−0.15
.1470
−0.15
.2572
Q55
PCG's medical health
3.1(0.9)
2.3(1.0)
2.5(0.9)
.0001
−0.17
.0643
−0.09
.9939
Q56
Taking care of own medical health
2.9(1.0)
2.4(1.1)
2.6(0.9)
.0033
−0.05
.4921
−0.11
.0357
Q69
PCG often has dry mouth when eating
10(13%)
34(19%)
23(16%)
.4116
0.9
.3456
0.8
.0137
Q70
PCG has restorations for past cavities
57(76%)
118(67%)
123(87%)
.0010
1.7
.0008
1.0
.6392
Q71
PCG has current cavities
42(56%)
79(45%)
47(33%)
.1029
0.8
.0494
0.9
.2353
Q72
PCG bothered by how own teeth look
46(61%)
79(45%)
57(40%)
.0309
0.9
.3523
1.0
.5640
Q73
PCG needs dental treatment now
64(85%)
123(70%)
78(55%)
.0009
0.9
.3433
0.9
.1089
Q75
PCG scared of going to the dentist
15(20%)
50(29%)
29(21%)
.0404
0.8
.1557
1.0
.9971
Q77
PCG uses fluoride toothpaste
56(75%)
154(88%)
118(84%)
.2974
1.2
.2525
1.0
.9745
Frequency rated on a 1–6 scale: 1 = more than once per day, 2 = once per day, 3 = several times a week, 4 = several times a month, 5 = a few times a year, and 6 = never.Ratings on a 1–5 scale: 1 = excellent, 2 = very good, 3 = good, 4 = fair, and 5 = poor.
