Faculty Publications

Bayesian Analysis Of The Association Between Family-Level Factors And Siblings’ Dental Caries

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Appalachia, Child, Decay probability, Family characteristics, Oral health, Smoking

Journal/Book/Conference Title

JDR Clinical and Translational Research

Volume

2

Issue

3

First Page

278

Last Page

286

Abstract

We conducted a Bayesian analysis of the association between family-level socioeconomic status and smoking and the prevalence of dental caries among siblings (children from infant to 14 y) among children living in rural and urban Northern Appalachia using data from the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA). The observed proportion of siblings sharing caries was significantly different from predicted assuming siblings’ caries status was independent. Using a Bayesian hierarchical model, we found the inclusion of a household factor significantly improved the goodness of fit. Other findings showed an inverse association between parental education and siblings’ caries and a positive association between households with smokers and siblings’ caries. Our study strengthens existing evidence suggesting that increased parental education and decreased parental cigarette smoking are associated with reduced childhood caries in the household. Our results also demonstrate the value of a Bayesian approach, which allows us to include household as a random effect, thereby providing more accurate estimates than obtained using generalized linear mixed models. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Siblings living in the same household tend to share caries status, and selected household factors, such as parental education and smoking, are strongly associated with caries development among siblings. These high-risk households might be targeted for appropriate educational and other interventions to reduce caries risk.

Original Publication Date

7-1-2017

DOI of published version

10.1177/2380084417698103

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

Link to Full Text

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