Methods: Dental and diet-related factors were collected as part of Wave-3 of the Aboriginal Birth Cohort study. Community-level measures were collected as part of the 2006 Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey. Fifteen community areas were established and the sample comprised 442 individuals. A composite dietary variable was created based on consumption of carbonated drinks, sweets and sugared tea, while a composite community disadvantage variable was created based on access to services, infrastructure and communications. The composite variables for diet and community disadvantage were trichotomised into ‘above average', ‘average' and ‘below average'. Multilevel modelling was used.
Results: At a bivariate level, mean DMFT was higher among females, those who had ‘below average' diet and those who lived in ‘below-average' community areas. The null multilevel model showed significant variation between community areas in mean DMFT. Some 13.8% of total variance in mean DMFT could be explained by community-level factors. The community compositional variable reduced community-level variance by more than a third in the level 2 model and the combined model with the individual factors. Residence in ‘below-average' communities was associated with significantly higher mean DMFT, after adjusting for other factors. Diet effect remained significant in the level 1 model and the combined model.
Conclusions: Living in community areas with poor access to services, infrastructure and communications was associated with increased experience of dental disease among this disadvantaged population, independent of sex, age-group and dietary behaviours.