Plant material
The samples of vegetables collected for the analysis contained varied contents of macronutrients (Table 1). Their concentration depended on the study area and the species. The phosphorus content in dry matter was at the level of 5.00 g·kg− 1 d.w. in the carrot roots but was two-fold lower in the potato tubers. It was also found that the content of this element in the vegetables from Chervonograd was lower, in the case of potatoes by as much as 39%, than in the plants cultivated in Kraśnik. There were significant differences in the potassium content between the plants grown in Poland and Ukraine. The vegetables from Kraśnik were characterised by a higher concentration of this element. Regardless of the study area, the potatoes had higher content of this component. Both the study area and the species had an impact on the concentration of calcium and magnesium in the plants. Higher levels of calcium were recorded in the potato tubers (4.30 g·kg− 1 d.w.) than in the carrot roots. An inverse correlation was noted for the content of magnesium. The concentration of both these nutrients was lower in the plants cultivated in Chervonograd.
Table 1
Content of macroelements (g·kg− 1) in dry matter of plants
Plant species (A)
|
Place of research (B)
|
P
|
K
|
Ca
|
Mg
|
Carrot
|
Kraśnik
|
5.20
|
22.3
|
2.30
|
1.50
|
|
Chervonograd
|
4.90
|
15.5
|
1.90
|
1.20
|
Potato
|
Kraśnik
|
3.10
|
20.6
|
4.50
|
1.11
|
|
Chervonograd
|
1.90
|
20.0
|
4.10
|
0.90
|
Mean for A
|
Carrot
|
5.00
|
18.9
|
2.10
|
1.30
|
|
Potato
|
2.50
|
20.3
|
4.30
|
1.00
|
Mean for B
|
Kraśnik
|
4.20
|
21.4
|
3.40
|
1.30
|
|
Chervonograd
|
3.40
|
17.7
|
3.00
|
1.11
|
Total average
|
|
3.80
|
19.6
|
3.20
|
1.20
|
LSD 0,05
|
|
0.20
|
n.s
|
1.40
|
0.10
|
A
|
|
0.20
|
2.10
|
1.40
|
0.10
|
B
|
|
0.30
|
4.30
|
n.s
|
n.s
|
A x B
|
|
0.52
|
2.03
|
2.30
|
1.50
|
n.s. - no statistical differences |
The content of microelements presented in Table 2 varied depending on the species and the cultivation area. Plants grown in Ukraine exhibited a lower concentration of manganese, zinc, iron, and copper. The comparison of both species showed higher levels of these elements in the dry matter of the carrot roots, especially in the case of iron.
Table 2
Content of microelements (mg·kg− 1) in dry matter of plants
Plant species (A)
|
Place of research (B)
|
Mn
|
Zn
|
Fe
|
Cu
|
Carrot
|
Kraśnik
|
7.10
|
19.26
|
48.86
|
3.25
|
|
Chervonograd
|
6.19
|
18.83
|
40.70
|
3.14
|
Potato
|
Kraśnik
|
4.13
|
10.86
|
21.73
|
2.39
|
|
Chervonograd
|
4.09
|
10.46
|
19.56
|
2.19
|
Mean for A
|
Carrot
|
6.64
|
19.05
|
44.78
|
3.19
|
|
Potato
|
4.11
|
10.66
|
20.65
|
2.29
|
Mean for B
|
Kraśnik
|
5.62
|
15.06
|
35.30
|
2.82
|
|
Chervonograd
|
5.14
|
14.65
|
30.13
|
2.66
|
Total average
|
|
5.38
|
10.48
|
32.71
|
2.74
|
LSD 0,05
|
|
0.19
|
0.39
|
1.61
|
0.05
|
A
|
|
0.19
|
0.38
|
1.62
|
0.06
|
B
|
|
0.38
|
n.s.
|
3.18
|
n.s.
|
A x B
|
|
Mn
|
Zn
|
Fe
|
Cu
|
n.s. - no statistical differences |
Clinical examinations
In total, 110 inhabitants of Kraśnik (n-47) and Chervonograd (n-60) aged 15 were qualified for the analysis of the study results (three questionnaires were incomplete and the clinical examination was not taken into account in the statistical analysis of the results). The secondary school students from Chervonograd were represented by 45% of girls (n − 27) and 55% of boys (n − 33). The group from Kraśnik comprised 24 boys (48%) and 23 girls (46%). The data are presented in Table 3.
Table 3
Number of the 15-year-olds from Chervonograd and Kraśnik in relation to the sex
Sex
|
|
Chervonograd
|
Kraśnik
|
Girls
|
N
|
27
|
23
|
|
%
|
45.00%
|
46.00%
|
Boys
|
N
|
33
|
24
|
|
%
|
55.00%
|
48.00%
|
No data
|
N
|
0
|
3
|
|
%
|
0.00%
|
6.00%
|
Total
|
|
60
|
50
|
The frequency of dental caries was 75% in the subjects from Chervonograd and 88% in those from Kraśnik. This difference was statistically insignificant (p = 0.138). There were also no statistically significant differences in the frequency of caries between the sexes. Its prevalence was 78.79% in the 15-year-old boys from Chervonograd and 95.83% of those living in Kraśnik (p = 0.149). These values in the group of girls were 70.37% and 86.96%, respectively (p = 0.285). The value of the caries frequency index is presented in Table 4. The mean values of the D3MFT number in the group of the 15-year-olds and its components D3T, MT, FT are presented in Table 5.
Table 4
Caries frequency in the 15-year-olds from Chervonograd and Kraśnik in relation to the sex
|
Chervonograd
|
Kraśnik
|
Chi2, p
|
Total
|
75.00%
|
88.00%
|
Chi2 = 2.202 p = 0.138
|
Girls
|
70.37%
|
86.96%
|
Chi2 = 1.142 p = 0.285
|
Boys
|
78.79%
|
95.83%
|
Chi2 = 2.082 p = 0.149
|
Table 5
Mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in the 15-year-olds from Chervonograd and Kraśnik
|
Place of living
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
D3T
|
Chervonograd
|
1.78
|
1.00
|
0
|
15
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
2.60
|
Z = 1.191
|
|
Kraśnik
|
1.12
|
0.50
|
0
|
8
|
0.00
|
2.00
|
1.70
|
p = 0.233
|
MT
|
Chervonograd
|
0.08
|
0.00
|
0
|
2
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.33
|
Z = -0.287
|
|
Kraśnik
|
0.12
|
0.00
|
0
|
2
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.44
|
p = 0.774
|
FT
|
Chervonograd
|
2.15
|
1.00
|
0
|
12
|
0.00
|
3.50
|
2.61
|
Z = -1.263
|
|
Kraśnik
|
2.66
|
2.00
|
0
|
11
|
0.00
|
4.00
|
2.61
|
p = 0.207
|
D3MFT
|
Chervonograd
|
4.02
|
3.00
|
0
|
16
|
0.50
|
6.00
|
3.86
|
Z = -0.233
|
|
Kraśnik
|
3.90
|
3.50
|
0
|
13
|
1.00
|
5.00
|
3.16
|
p = 0.816
|
The intensity of caries expressed by the D3MFT number in the analysed group was 4.02 in the 15-year-olds from Ukraine and 3.90 in the group from Poland.
The mean D3T value was 1.78 in the teenagers from Chervonograd and 1.12 in the young people from Kraśnik. The mean MT value was 0.08 and 0.12, respectively, and the value of the FT number was 2.15 and 2.66, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant.
Tables 6 and 7 show the mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in the group of 15-year-olds living in the Lviv and Lublin regions, taking into account the sex of the respondents. The average D3MFT value was 4.04 in the group of Ukrainian girls 3.87 and in the group of the Polish female teenagers. In turn, in the male adolescents, the mean D3MFT value was 4.00 in the Ukrainian group and 4.33 in the Polish group. These differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.852 and p = 0.520, respectively). Similarly, there were no statistically significant differences between the values of the D3T, MT, and FT components.
Table 6
Mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in the examined 15-year-old girls from Lviv Oblast and Lublin Province
|
Place of living
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
D3T
|
Chervonograd
|
2.04
|
1.00
|
0
|
15
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
3.09
|
Z = 1.869
|
|
Kraśnik
|
0.65
|
0.00
|
0
|
3
|
0.00
|
1.00
|
0.98
|
p = 0.062
|
MT
|
Chervonograd
|
0.11
|
0.00
|
0
|
2
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.42
|
Z = 0.4028
|
|
Kraśnik
|
0.09
|
0.00
|
0
|
2
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.42
|
p = 0.688
|
FT
|
Chervonograd
|
1.89
|
1.00
|
0
|
11
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
2.65
|
Z = -1.915
|
|
Kraśnik
|
3.13
|
3.00
|
0
|
11
|
0.00
|
5.00
|
2.82
|
p = 0.056
|
D3MFT
|
Chervonograd
|
4.04
|
3.00
|
0
|
15
|
0.00
|
6.00
|
4.07
|
Z = -0.187
|
|
Kraśnik
|
3.87
|
3.00
|
0
|
11
|
1.00
|
7.00
|
3.25
|
p = 0.852
|
Table 7
Mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in the examined 15-year-old boys from Lviv Oblast and Lublin Province
|
Place of living
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
D3T
|
Chervonograd
|
1.58
|
1.00
|
0
|
7
|
0.00
|
2.00
|
2.14
|
Z = -0.591
|
|
Kraśnik
|
1.71
|
1.00
|
0
|
8
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
2.12
|
p = 0.555
|
MT
|
Chervonograd
|
0.06
|
0.00
|
0
|
1
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.24
|
Z = -0.857
|
|
Kraśnik
|
0.17
|
0.00
|
0
|
2
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.48
|
p = 0.391
|
FT
|
Chervonograd
|
2.36
|
2.00
|
0
|
12
|
0.00
|
4.00
|
2.60
|
Z = -0.272
|
|
Kraśnik
|
2.46
|
1.50
|
0
|
9
|
0.00
|
4.00
|
2.45
|
p = 0.785
|
D3MFT
|
Chervonograd
|
4.00
|
4.00
|
0
|
16
|
1.00
|
6.00
|
3.73
|
Z = -0.644
|
|
Kraśnik
|
4.33
|
4.00
|
0
|
13
|
2.00
|
5.50
|
3.09
|
p = 0.520
|
The value of the SIC index was 8.24 in the students from Chervonograd (n − 21) and 7.33 in the group from Kraśnik (n − 18). This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.287). The data are presented in Table 8.
Table 8
SIC value in the examined 15-year-olds from Lviv Oblast and Lublin Province
|
Place of living
|
N
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
SIC
|
Chervonograd
|
21
|
8.24
|
7.00
|
6
|
16
|
6.00
|
9.00
|
3.05
|
Z = 1.064
|
|
Kraśnik
|
18
|
7.33
|
7.00
|
5
|
13
|
5.00
|
9.00
|
2.35
|
p = 0.287
|
The intensity of caries measured by the mean D3MFT value in the 15-year-old teenagers from Chervonograd who declared everyday consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit was 3.77 (Table 9). In turn, the caries intensity in the group of respondents who ate these products less frequently (every 2–3 days or once a week) was 4.65. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.470). No statistically significant differences were found between the mean values of D3T (p = 0.628), MT (p = 0.940), and FT (p = 0.839).
Table 9
Mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in relation to the eating habits declared by the examined 15-year-olds from Chervonograd
|
Frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
D3T
|
every day
|
1.53
|
1.0
|
0.00
|
7.00
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
1.93
|
Z = -0.484
|
|
less often
|
2.41
|
1.0
|
0.00
|
15.00
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
3.81
|
p = 0.628
|
MT
|
every day
|
0.07
|
0.0
|
0.00
|
1.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.26
|
Z = 0.076
|
|
less often
|
0.12
|
0.0
|
0.00
|
2.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.49
|
p = 0.940
|
FT
|
every day
|
2.16
|
1.0
|
0.00
|
12.00
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
2.74
|
Z = -0.203
|
|
less often
|
2.12
|
1.0
|
0.00
|
7.00
|
0.00
|
4.00
|
2.32
|
p = 0.839
|
D3MFT
|
every day
|
3.77
|
3.0
|
0.00
|
16.00
|
1.00
|
6.00
|
3.68
|
Z = -0.722
|
|
less often
|
4.65
|
6.0
|
0.00
|
15.00
|
0.00
|
7.00
|
4.31
|
p = 0.470
|
The caries intensity expressed by the mean D3MFT value in the 15-year-old adolescents living in Kraśnik and consuming fresh vegetables and fruit every day was 5.17 (Table 10), whereas a lower value of this parameter, i.e. 3.19, was calculated in the group declaring less frequent consumption of such foods. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.086). In turn, there were statistically significant differences between the mean D3T values, i.e. 1.78 in the group declaring everyday consumption of vegetables and 0.75 in the group of 15-year-olds that eat vegetables occasionally (p = 0.007).
Table 10
Mean values of the D3MFT number and its components in relation to the eating habits declared by the examined 15-year-olds from Kraśnik
|
Frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables
|
Mean
|
Standard deviation
|
Min.
|
Max.
|
Lower quartile
|
Median
|
Upper quartile
|
Statistical analysis
|
D3T
|
every day
|
1.78
|
1.5
|
0.00
|
7.00
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
1.77
|
Z = 2.705
|
|
less often
|
0.75
|
0.0
|
0.00
|
8.00
|
0.00
|
1.00
|
1.57
|
p = 0.007
|
MT
|
every day
|
0.28
|
0.0
|
0.00
|
2.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.67
|
Z = 1.697
|
|
less often
|
0.03
|
0.0
|
0.00
|
1.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.18
|
p = 0.090
|
FT
|
every day
|
3.11
|
2.0
|
0.00
|
9.00
|
0.00
|
6.00
|
3.10
|
Z = 0.606
|
|
less often
|
2.41
|
2.0
|
0.00
|
11.00
|
0.50
|
4.00
|
2.30
|
p = 0.545
|
D3MFT
|
every day
|
5.17
|
5.0
|
0.00
|
13.00
|
1.00
|
9.00
|
3.87
|
Z = 1.719
|
|
less often
|
3.19
|
3.0
|
0.00
|
11.00
|
1.00
|
4.50
|
2.48
|
p = 0.086
|
The analysis of the mean D3MFT number (Speaman's rank correlation) showed lower values of this parameter and its components in respondents who declared less frequent consumption of fruit juices. However, these differences were not statistically significant, as shown in Table 11.
Table 11
Values of the D3MFT number and its components in relation to the frequency of drinking fruit juices declared by the examined 15-year-olds from Chervonograd and Kraśnik
Variable
|
Chervonograd
|
Kraśnik
|
|
R
|
p
|
R
|
p
|
D3T
|
0.092
|
0.487
|
-0.082
|
0.572
|
MT
|
0.007
|
0.958
|
-0.011
|
0.940
|
FT
|
0.029
|
0.828
|
-0.084
|
0.562
|
D3MFT
|
0.079
|
0.549
|
-0.122
|
0.398
|
To make the results as reliable as possible, the survey respondents were asked to indicate the frequency of brushing teeth, the use of fluoride toothpaste, and the use of additional oral hygiene products, such as dental floss. The obtained data are presented in Table 12.
Table 12
Frequency of brushing teeth and the use of fluoride toothpaste and additional oral hygiene products declared by the examined 15-year-olds from Chervonograd and Kraśnik
Variable
|
Chervonograd
|
Kraśnik
|
Statistical analysis
|
Frequency of brushing teeth
|
Once a day
|
N
|
14
|
13
|
Chi2 = 0.105
df = 1
|
|
%
|
23.33%
|
26.00%
|
p = 0.746
|
|
2–3 times a day
|
N
|
46
|
37
|
|
|
|
%
|
76.76%
|
74.00%
|
|
Way of brushing teeth
|
toothbrush and water
|
N
|
1
|
1
|
Chi2 = 0.344
df = 1
|
|
|
%
|
1.67%
|
2.00%
|
|
toothbrush and toothpaste
|
N
|
59
|
49
|
p = 0.558
|
%
|
98.33%
|
98.00%
|
Additional oral hygiene products
|
N
|
38
|
41
|
Chi2 = 9.128
df = 1
|
|
%
|
63.33%
|
89.13%
|
p = 0.003
|
Use of fluoride toothpaste
|
N
|
27
|
42
|
Chi2 = 17.788
df = 1
|
|
%
|
46.55%
|
85.71%
|
p < 0.001
|
Brushing teeth 2–3 times a day was declared by 76% of the respondents from Lviv Oblast and 74% of the teenagers from Lublin Province. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.746). A vast majority of the respondents brushed their teeth with a brush and toothpaste (98.33% of the teenagers from Chervonograd and 98% from Kraśnik). Additional oral hygiene products were used by 89.13% of the students from Kraśnik and 63.33% from Chervonograd. The differences were statistically significant (p = 0.003). Toothpaste with fluoride was used by 85.71% of the 15-year-olds from Kraśnik (n-42) and 46.55% of those living in Chervonograd (n-27). The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001).