Social Gradients in Dental Caries Status in Italian Adults

Objective: The objective of this study among Italian (Sardini- an) adults aged 30–45 years was to assess whether there is a social gradient in dental caries experience in Italian adults and whether caries experience was associated with some behavioral factors such as smoking. Materials and Methods: 480 subjects, were dentally examined using the ICDAS index to record caries status. A simpli- fied structured self-compiled questionnaire was administered and data on sex, educational level, employment and smoking habits were recorded. Multinomial logistic regression models were per- formed using decayed ICDAS scores, numbers of missing teeth due to caries and presence and type of fillings as the dependent variable. Results: Fifty two percent of the sample were males. Caries prevalence was 62.9%, 44.79% of the sample had at least one manifest caries lesion (ICDAS score 4–6). There was an educational gradient in DMFT; those with a higher educational level had lower caries experience (OR = 0.56 95% CI = 0.43–0.83 p < 0.01) and for presence and type of fillings (OR = 0.70 95% CI = 0.55 – 0.88 p < 0.01). Females were less affected by untreated caries (OR = 0.71 95% CI = 0.50– 0.99 p = 0.04). Smokers had a higher risk of having more caries lesions (OR = 1.52 95% CI = 1.03–2.24 p = 0.03). A high number of missing teeth were positively associated with sex (OR = 1.44 95% CI = 1.02–2.04 p = 0.04) and smoking habit (OR = 2.41 95% CI = 1.64–3.55 p < 0.01). Conclusions: There was an educational gradient in dental caries experience. Educational level, sex, smoking habits were statistically significantly as- sociated with caries experience in Italian adults. Authors declare no commercial sources of funding.