Cross-sectional survey and analysis of factors influencing the prevalence of dental caries among older individuals aged 65-74 in Guangdong Province in 2021

The prevalence of oral diseases is subject to change over time. In 2021, Guangdong Province conducted its fourth survey assessing the oral health status of individuals aged 65–74. Evaluation criteria and potential influencing factors were identified. A sample of residents aged 65–74 from 13 designated monitoring sites in Guangdong Province was randomly selected for the study. Spearman correlation analysis was employed to investigate the clinical correlation between influencing factors and evaluation criteria. Negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were utilized to examine the factors influencing caries prevalence. In contrast, logistic regression was employed to identify the risk factors for caries occurrence. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. The prevalence of caries rate of crowns, roots, and teeth were 76.36