ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2026
Indigenous-non-Indigenous inequalities in oral health prevention among children and adolescents in Ecuador: a cross-sectional study.
Article in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough oral diseases are among the most prevalent chronic conditions affecting children and adolescents globally, access to preventive and treatment services remains uneven. These disparities are particularly pronounced among Indigenous populations and reflect long-standing structural and social inequities. This study examined the prevalence of, and ethnic inequalities in, refraining from dental care and inadequate toothbrushing frequency among Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and adolescents in Ecuador.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using a nationally representative data from the ENSANUT 2018 demographic survey. Two preventive oral health outcomes were included: refraining from dental care in the previous 12 months and inadequate toothbrushing frequency (< 2 times/day). Ethnicity was self-reported and categorized as Indigenous or non-Indigenous (Afro-Ecuadorian, Mestizo, White, and Montubio). Survey weighted prevalence and absolute risk differences between ethnic groups were estimated to assess inequalities in the outcomes, with adjustment for sex, place of residence and region, and stratified by age group.
resultsRefraining from dental care was more prevalent among Indigenous than non-Indigenous children (50.6% vs. 37.3%), corresponding to an adjusted absolute risk difference of 9.2% points (95% CI: 4.4 ̶ 13.9). Inadequate toothbrushing was consistently higher among Indigenous children and adolescents, with an adjusted absolute difference of 12.8; 95% CI: (9.8 ̶ 15.9) and 11; 95% CI: (7.8 ̶ 14.3) percentage points, respectively.
conclusionsSubstantial ethnic inequities in access to dental care services and preventive oral health behaviour persist among children and adolescents in Ecuador. These findings underscore the need for equity-oriented and culturally appropriate oral health policies targeting Indigenous populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.