Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dental caries is a prevalent disease in both developed and developing countries and is a public health problem among adolescents. This study aimed to assess the determinants of dental caries among adolescent patients in the west Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia. METHODS: A hospital-based unmatched case-control study design was conducted in West Wollega Zone, West Ethiopia. A total of 133 cases and 266 controls participated in this study. Data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires from three hospitals. Epi-info version 7 was used for data entry and was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Frequency, proportion, mean and standard deviation were computed to summarize the data. Statistics are presented using tables and bar graphs. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of dental caries at P < 0.05. The adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to show the strength of association between the predictors and dental caries. RESULTS: A total of 399 adolescents were enrolled in this study, yielding a response rate of 100%. The study found that, daily consumption of sugared coffee (AOR = 2.91, 95% CI:1.62, 5.23), khat chewing (AOR = 2.90, 95%CI: 1.46, 3.15), daily consumption of bread (AOR = 2.65, 95%CI: 1.44, 4.89), daily consumption of sweet foods (AOR = 2.04, 95%CI:1.19, 3.48), living in urban areas (AOR = 1.86, 95%CI:1.09, 3.15), and daily tooth brushing using toothpaste or stick (AOR = 0.48;95%CI, 0.28, 0.81) were significantly associated with dental caries among adolescents. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: In this study, drinking sugared coffee, daily consumption of bread, khat chewing, sugary food consumption, living in urban areas, and daily tooth brushing using toothpaste were significantly associated with dental caries. Therefore, improving dietary and drinking habits and strengthening regular tooth brushing are important for reducing dental caries among adolescents.