Table 2. The association between dental caries at the baseline appointment and patients’ demographic characteristics (n = 513).
aChi square test. *The level of significance for this analysis was set at 0.05
D1-3: caries at the enamel level. D4-6: caries at the dentine level
BDA: British Dental Association
| Variables | Frequency, n (%) | |||||
| Caries-free | Enamel caries | Dentine caries | Total | P-valuea | Chi-square value | |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 45 (8.8) | 45 (8.8) | 181 (35.3) | 271 (52.8) | 0.185 | 3.4 |
| Female | 34 (6.6) | 29 (5.7) | 179 (34.9) | 242 (47.2) | ||
| Age group, years | ||||||
| 16–20 | 26 (5.1) | 2 (0.4) | 8 (1.6) | 36 (7.0) | <0.001* | 118.3 |
| 21–30 | 31 (6.0) | 12 (2.3) | 52 (10.1) | 95 (18.5) | ||
| 31–40 | 8 (1.6) | 6 (1.2) | 41 (8.0) | 55 (10.7) | ||
| 41–50 | 8 (1.6) | 5 (1.0) | 41 (8.0) | 54 (10.5) | ||
| 51–60 | 0 (0) | 11 (2.1) | 65 (18.1) | 76 (14.8) | ||
| 61–73 | 6 (1.2) | 38 (7.4) | 153 (29.8) | 197 (38.4) | ||
| Ethnicity | ||||||
| Malay | 33 (6.4) | 24 (4.7) | 145 (28.3) | 202 (39.4) | 0.723 | 2.1 |
| Chinese | 33 (6.4) | 37 (7.2) | 162 (31.6) | 232 (45.2) | ||
| Indian | 13 (2.5) | 13 (2.5) | 53 (10.3) | 79 (15.4) | ||
| Number of disabilities | ||||||
| 1 type of disability | 26 (5.0) | 35 (6.8) | 155 (30.2) | 216 (42.1) | 0.169 | 6.4 |
| 2 types disabilities | 22 (4.3) | 21 (4.1) | 80 (15.6) | 123 (24.0) | ||
| ≥3 types of disabilities | 31 (6.0) | 18 (3.5) | 125 (24.4) | 174 (33.9) | ||
| Total number of medical conditions | ||||||
| None | 12 (2.3) | 5 (1.0) | 28 (5.5) | 45 (8.8) | 0.010* | 16.9 |
| 1 medical condition | 39 (7.6) | 25 (4.9) | 119 (23.2) | 183 (35.7) | ||
| 2 medical conditions | 16 (3.1) | 26 (5.1) | 112 (21.8) | 154 (30.0) | ||
| ≥3 medical conditions | 12 (2.3) | 18 (3.5) | 101 (19.7) | 131 (25.5) | ||
| Patient complexity (BDA case-mix score) | ||||||
| Standard complexity | 3 (0.6) | 4 (0.8) | 26 (5.1) | 33 (6.4) | 0.381 | 8.6 |
| Some complexity | 26 (5.1) | 25 (4.9) | 101 (19.7) | 152 (29.6) | ||
| Moderate complexity | 20 (3.9) | 26 (5.1) | 137 (26.7) | 183 (35.7) | ||
| Severe complexity | 22 (4.3) | 14 (2.7) | 68 (13.3) | 104 (20.3) | ||
| Extreme complexity | 8 (1.6) | 5 (1.0) | 28 (5.5) | 41 (8.0) | ||