Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35799095›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2022

Fluoridation cessation and oral health equity: a 7-year post-cessation study of Grade 2 schoolchildren in Alberta, Canada.

Lindsay McLaren, Steven K Patterson, Peter Faris, Guanmin Chen, Salima Thawer, Rafael Figueiredo, Cynthia Weijs, Deborah A McNeil, Arianna Waye, Melissa L Potestio

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lindsay McLarenDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada. lmclaren@ucalgary.ca.
Steven K PattersonSchool of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Peter FarisData & Analytics, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Guanmin ChenDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Salima ThawerDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Rafael FigueiredoSchool of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Cynthia WeijsDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Deborah A McNeilDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Arianna WayeHealth Innovation & Excellence, Provincial Clinical Excellence, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Melissa L PotestioDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Funding

CIHR 403867CIHR CPP-137907CIHR PJT-156258
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveCommunity water fluoridation, because of its universal scope and passive mechanism of uptake, is one component of a multifaceted approach to promoting equity in dental health. The objective of this study was to examine social inequities in children's dental health in the Canadian cities of Calgary (fluoridation cessation in 2011) and Edmonton (still fluoridated).

methodsWe analyzed data from surveys of population-based samples of Grade 2 (approx. age 7) children in Calgary in 2009/2010 (pre-cessation; n=557) and in both Calgary and Edmonton in 2013/2014 (Calgary, n=3230; Edmonton, n=2304) and 2018/2019 (Calgary, n=2649; Edmonton, n=2600) (post-cessation). We estimated associations between several socioeconomic indicators and dental caries indicators (i.e., dental caries experience [deft, DMFT] and untreated decay in two or more teeth [untreated decay]) using zero-inflated Poisson, binary logistic regression, and the concentration index of inequality. We compared those associations over time (between survey waves) and between cities at post-cessation.

resultsPersistent social inequities in deft and untreated decay were evident; for example, having no dental insurance was significantly associated with higher odds of untreated decay across city and survey wave. In most (but not all) cases, differences between cities and survey waves were consistent with an adverse effect of fluoridation cessation on dental health inequities. For example, the association between no dental insurance and higher odds of untreated decay in Calgary was greater in 2018/2019 (later post-cessation) than in 2009/2010 (pre-cessation; odds ratio [OR] for comparison of coefficients = 1.89 [1.36-2.63], p<0.001) and 2013/2014 (early post-cessation; OR for comparison of coefficients = 1.67 [1.22-2.28], p=0.001); that same association in 2018/2019 was greater in Calgary (fluoridation cessation) than in Edmonton (still fluoridated) (OR for comparison of coefficients = 1.44 [1.03-2.02], p=0.033).

conclusionSocial inequities in dental caries were present in both Calgary and Edmonton. Those inequities tended to be worse in Calgary where fluoridation was ceased. Our findings may be relevant to other settings where income inequality is high, dental services are costly, and dental public health infrastructure is limited.

Indexed as

Dental CariesHealth EquityAlbertaChildFluoridationHumansSocioeconomic FactorsDental cariesFluoridationHealth equityPublic health

Identifiers

PMID35799095
PMCPMC9663766

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.