Oral health among the indigenous Sámi population. A population-based study on periodontal health, dental caries, and oral health-related quality of life

• Main Author: Bongo, Ann Kristine Sara
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: UiT The Arctic University of Norway 2021
• Subjects: VDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Klinisk odontologiske fag: 830::Periodonti: 837; Periodontitis; VDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Klinisk odontologiske fag: 830; Dental caries; VDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Clinical dentistry disciplines: 830; Oral health-related quality of life; Norway; Northern Norway
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22993

Background/Aim: The lack of scientific knowledge on oral health in Sámi populations and the regional differences in caries experience among children in Northern Norway has raised the question of whether the high prevalence of oral disease in that geographic area differs by ethnicity. Evidence-based knowledge on oral health conditions in adults in these areas is scarce. The overall objective of the thesis was to assess oral health in an adult population in core Sámi areas in Northern Norway, with a focus on periodontal disease, dental caries, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and their associated risk factors, in Sámi and non-Sámi populations. Methods: The thesis is based on a cross-sectional study of adults aged 18 to 75 years in core Sámi areas in Northern Norway, the Dental Health in The North Study. Data collection was incorporated into daily clinical procedures at six Public Dental Health Services clinics in 2013-2014; it included both clinical and radiographic examination, and a questionnaire. Periodontal probing depth (PPD) was assessed at six sites per tooth for all teeth, except the third molar, and post-clinical measurement of radiographic bone loss was conducted. A five-grade diagnostic scale was used to register caries severity on approximal, buccal, lingual/palatinal, and occlusal surfaces. OHRQoL was assessed with Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Results: Altogether, 2235 adults participated in the study, giving a crude response rate of 88.7%. In total, 2078 were included in the study, and of them, 66.5% reported Sámi affiliation and 57% were women. Three ethnic groups were constructed (Sámi, mixed Sámi/Norwegian, and Norwegian), and in most analyses, ethnicity was dichotomized into Sámi and non-Sámi. According to the modified version of the new American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology classification system of periodontitis, 49.7% of participants had periodontitis, with 20.1% having stage III/IV, i.e. severe periodontitis. No ...