Incarcerated individuals experience poorer health, including dental health, when compared with the general population. Although interventions that target multiple determinants of health are more effective, there are limited investigations of the determinants of dental health, and how these differ, among incarcerated individuals. This article describes a secondary data analysis to investigate caries (dental decay) experience and associated risk indicators from a survey of females, adult males, and young males incarcerated in Scotland. Substance misuse significantly explained caries risk for adults, and tailored interventions are warranted to address smoking and dental attitudes among females, and for adult males housing support alongside oral health education are indicated.
Keywords: DMFT; dental caries; prisoners; risk indicators.