The use of fluoride varnish and its determining factors among children with disability in Taiwan

Abstract

The oral health of children with disability is often not as good as that of other children. In view of improving their oral health, this study aims to explore the utilization of fluoride varnish services among children with disability in Taiwan and its relevant influencing factors. With children under the age of 5 as subjects, this study is conducted based on the database of Ministry of the Interior, Executive Yuan, ROC in 2008, coupled with information gathered between 2006 and 2008 on preventive health care and health insurance from the Bureau of Health Promotion and the National Health Research Institute, respectively. In addition to descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis, this study examined the factors determining the use of fluoride varnish with logistic regression analysis. Research revealed that fluoride varnish is used by up to 9.84% of children with disability; the use increases with age and decreases with increased level of disability, but is remarkably higher in those with catastrophic illness/injury. The probability of fluoride varnish use is lower among those living in areas of lower urbanization (levels 5-7) and higher among those whose parents have higher premium-based monthly salaries. Recommendations include (1) providing a differential pricing scheme for fluoride varnish based on the level of disability of the child, (2) promoting proactively among dentists to carry out regular fluoride varnish in rural areas and collaboration with pediatricians to provide convenient services and (3) targeting families in low socioeconomic brackets, improving knowledge of fluoride varnish.