Clinical oral health of Australia’s rural children in a sample attending school dental services

Objective: To examine the association between children’s clinical oral health status and their residential location using the latest available data (2009) and to ascertain whether poor oral health among rural children is related to being Indigenous, having less access to fluoridated water or being of lower socioeconomic status (SES), than children from urban areas.

Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting and participant: Data were collected on 74 467 children aged 5–12 years attending school dental services in Australia (data were not available for Victoria or New South Wales).

Main outcome measures: Clinical oral health was determined by the mean number of permanent teeth with untreated caries, missing and filled permanent teeth, and the mean decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index (DMFT) of 8 to 12-year-old-children and the mean number deciduous teeth with untreated caries, missing and filled deciduous teeth, and the mean decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth index (dmft) of 5–10-year-olds.

Results: The multivariable models that included coefficients on whether the child was Indigenous, from an area with fluoridated water and SES, were controlled for age and sex. The mean DMFT of 8–12-year-old children and the mean dmft of 5–10-year-old-children were significantly higher in rural areas compared with urban centres after accounting for Indigenous status, fluoridated water and SES.

Conclusion: Children’s oral health was poorer in rural areas than in major city areas.