Factors associated with restoration and extraction receipt among New Zealand children

To assess the relative contribution of demographic socioeconomic, physical/lifestyles, dietary, food security and dental factors to self-reported restoration or extraction receipt among New Zealand children.

Cross-sectional study of nationally representation data using a two-stage random clustered sampling procedure and complex sampling analysis.

Mäori, Pacific and New Zealand European or Other (NZEO) children aged 5-14 years.

Of the 3,275 participants 37.4% were Mäori, 32.3% Pacific and 30.3% NZEO. Mäori children had higher odds of having received a restoration than NZEO children after adjusting for age, gender and length of time lived in New Zealand (OR: 1.87) and with addition of household SES (OR: 1.58), lifestyle (OR: 1.92), dietary (OR: 1.64), food security (OR: 1.79) or dental factors (OR: 1.89). By contrast, Pacific children had higher odds of having received an extraction than NZEO children when age, gender and length of time lived in New Zealand were taken into account (OR: 1.69), and with addition of household SES (OR: 1.48), lifestyle (OR: 1.71), dietary (OR: 1.52), food security (OR: 1.21) or other dental factors (OR: 1.93).

Mäori children were more likely to have received a restoration, and Pacific children more likely to experience an extraction, than NZEO children after adjusting for behavioural and material factors. Household SES contributed to most of the variance in Mäori child restoration receipt, while food security items explained most of the variance in Pacific child experience of extraction.