Abstract
Background
Untreated caries is the most prevalent disease in the world. A sense of coherence (SOC) contributes to oral health. However, little is known about the association between guardians' SOC and children’s oral health. We aimed to clarify the association between guardians’ SOC and their children’s caries based on socioeconomic status in Japan.
Methods
This study’s subjects were Japanese public junior high schoolers, aged 12-15, and their guardians. We administered a questionnaire survey among guardians in 2016 to assess their SOC and family environment. With their students’ consent, public junior high schools shared the results of the dental examinations. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to clarify the association between guardians’ SOC and their children’s untreated decayed permanent teeth. We also conducted a stratified analysis according to a relative poverty line. Furthermore, we included interaction term of annual equivalent incomes, educational attainment with guardians’ SOC in analysis.
Results
We observed a significant inverse association between children’s untreated decay and their guardians’ SOC (OR 0.93). Equivalent annual income had a significant marginal association with decayed teeth (OR 0.14). The association of SOC was stronger in the low economic group (OR 0.64). In the high economic group, educational attainment was significantly associated with decayed teeth (OR 0.50).
Conclusions
Guardians with higher SOC were associated with children having fewer caries. Guardians’ SOC is a preventive factor for children’s caries, especially among children with low economic status.
Key messages
This result suggests that guardians’ SOC is one of the psychosocial determinant of children’s oral health.
Influence of family environment on children's oral health: a systematic review
