Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Sociodemographic variables | N | % | Dental history and experience | N | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) (n = 1,312) | Dental visit ever (n = 1,295) | ||||
| 11–12 | 653 | 50 | Yes | 1,158 | 89 |
| 13–14 | 659 | 50 | No | 137 | 11 |
| Gender (n = 1,312) | Dental visit in the last 3 months (n = 1,271) | ||||
| Male | 719 | 55 | Yes | 414 | 33 |
| Female | 593 | 45 | No | 857 | 67 |
| Birth order (n = 1,312) | Reason for most recent dental visit (n = 1,287)a | ||||
| First | 302 | 23 | Regular check-up | 101 | 8 |
| 2-3 | 510 | 39 | Pain | 782 | 61 |
| 4+ | 500 | 38 | Filling | 464 | 36 |
| Number of siblings (n = 1,312) | Esthetic | 148 | 12 | ||
| 0–3 | 455 | 35 | Other | 119 | 9 |
| 4–5 | 476 | 36 | Procedure at previous dental visit/s (n = 1,286)a | ||
| 6+ | 381 | 29 | Examination | 536 | 42 |
| Family income (n = 1,312) | Local anesthesia | 186 | 15 | ||
| Low | 119 | 9 | Extraction | 448 | 35 |
| Middle | 933 | 71 | Filling | 565 | 44 |
| High | 260 | 20 | Prophylaxis | 189 | 15 |
| Mother’s education (n = 1,308) | Other | 82 | 6 | ||
| Less than secondary | 334 | 26 | Behavior during previous dental visit/s (n = 1,295)b | ||
| Secondary | 508 | 39 | Good | 744 | 57 |
| University | 466 | 36 | Poor | 444 | 34 |
| Father’s education (n = 1,289) | I don’t know | 107 | 8 | ||
| Less than secondary | 200 | 16 | Fear (CFSS-DS) (n = 1,312) | ||
| Secondary | 449 | 35 | Fearful (score ≥32) | 265 | 20 |
| University | 640 | 50 | Non-fearful | 1,047 | 80 |
| General health variables | Untreated caries (n = 1,312) | ||||
| Health problems (n = 1,269) | Yes | 1,012 | 77 | ||
| Yes | 188 | 15 | No | 300 | 23 |
| No | 1,081 | 85 | DMFT (mean (SD)) | 4.0 (3.2) | |
| Hospitalization (n = 1,283) | |||||
| Yes | 308 | 24 | |||
| No | 975 | 76 | |||
Abbreviations: DMFT Decayed Missing and Filled Permanent Teeth; CFSS-DS Children’s Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale; SD Standard deviation.
aAnswer categories are not mutually exclusive
bReported by parents