| Indicator | Māori | Total New Zealand population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoridated supply | Non-fluoridated supply | Fluoridated supply | Non-fluoridated supply | |
| Mean number of missing or filled teeth at 5 years of age, 2013 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| Mean number of missing or filled teeth at school year 8, 2013 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Caries-free at 5 years of age, percent, 2013 | 42.5 | 32.3 | 59.5 | 55.2 |
| Caries-free at school year 8, percent, 2013 | 47.0 | 38.8 | 56.2 | 51.7 |
At school entry (5 years of age), Māori children had a higher mean number of missing or filled teeth than non-Māori children in 2013, and were less likely to be caries-free. This was the case for people living in areas with both fluoridated and non-fluoridated water supplies.
There was some reduction in the disparity by school year 8, although Māori children still had a higher mean number of missing and filled teeth than non-Māori and were less likely to be caries-free.
| Indicator | Māori | Non-Māori | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | Females | Total | Males | Females | Total | |
| Visited a dental health care worker in previous year (self-reported), 1–14 years, percent, 2013/14 | 82.2 (78.8–85.2) |
82.6 (79.0–85.7) |
82.4 (79.9–84.7) |
83.6 (80.8–86.0) |
84.8 (82.7–86.8) |
84.2 (82.4–85.9) |
| Visited a dental health care worker in previous year (self-reported), 15+ years, percent, 2013/14 | 33.6 (30.2–37.1) |
42.0 (38.5–45.6) |
38.3 (35.7–41.0) |
45.0 (42.9–47.1) |
51.5 (49.3–53.7) |
48.3 (46.7–49.8) |
| Usually only visits a dental health care worker for dental problems, or never visits, among adults with natural teeth (self-reported), 15+ years, percent, 2013/14 | 75.8 (72.0–79.2) |
71.3 (67.8–74.6) |
73.4 (70.8–75.8) |
53.6 (51.2–56.0) |
48.3 (45.7–51.0) |
50.9 (48.7–53.0) |
| Had any teeth extracted due to decay, abscess or infection in previous year (self-reported), 1–14 years, percent, 2013/14 | 7.1 (5.0–10.1) |
4.0 (2.7–5.8) |
5.6 (4.3–7.3) |
2.9 (2.0–4.0) |
4.2 (2.8–6.1) |
3.5 (2.7–4.6) |
| Had any teeth extracted due to decay, abscess, infection or gum disease in previous year (self-reported), 15+ years, percent, 2013/14 | 8.2 (6.4–10.4) |
10.3 (8.5–12.6) |
9.4 (8.0–11.0) |
6.0 (5.2–6.9) |
5.6 (4.8–6.5) |
5.8 (5.2–6.4) |
There was no significant difference between Māori and non-Māori children (RR 0.98, CI 0.95–1.01) in terms of the frequency of their having visited a dentist in the past 12 months, in 2013/14. However, Māori adults were less likely than non-Māori adults to have visited a dentist in the past 12 months (RR 0.77, CI 0.72–0.83).
Among adults with natural teeth, Māori adults were more likely than non-Māori to report that they had never visited a dental health care worker at all, or usually only visited a dental health care worker for dental problems (RR 1.44, CI 1.38–1.51).
Māori children were more than 1.5 times as likely as non-Māori children to have had any teeth extracted due to decay, abscess or infection in the past 12 months (RR 1.60, CI 1.08–2.37). Similarly, Māori adults were about 1.5 times as likely as non-Māori adults to have had any teeth extracted due to decay, abscess, infection or gum disease in the past 12 months (RR 1.49, CI 1.25–1.77).
1. Note: Crude rates and prioritised ethnicity have been used – see Ngā tapuae me ngā raraunga: Methods and data sources for further information.
Source: Community Oral Health Services
- Figures are age-standardised to the total Māori population as recorded in the 2001 Census.
- Prioritised ethnicity has been used – see Ngā tapuae me ngā raraunga: Methods and data sources for further information.
Source: 2013/14 New Zealand Health Survey, Ministry of Health