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Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Oral Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 17280

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yusuke Matsuyama

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Guest Editor

School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: social determinants of health; health inequalities; causal inference; life-course epidemiology; health economics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Billions of people worldwide are still suffering from oral diseases, despite the fact that they are largely preventable. Oral diseases negatively and disproportionately impact the quality of life, whereby socially disadvantaged groups are affected more significantly. A wealth of research these past decades has revealed the underlying socioeconomic determinants of oral health from early childhood to older age, including household income, educational status, occupation, and area-level deprivation. Further, it has been argured that, in addition to social determinants, the commercial determinants of oral health—such as free sugar and tobacco—also need to be addressed. These determinants dynamically interact with each other. Research exploring the causal relationships and deconstructing the intermediating pathways as well as evaluating relevant policies at each stage and throughout life are required.

This Special Issue invites papers that increase our understanding of the nexus between the socioeconomic determinants of oral health. Research exploring causality and its mechanisms are especially welcome. It is hoped that the submissions will reflect broad representation and include many countries across the globe, especially where relevant evidence is absent. All types of studies, including original research, reviews, and short communications, will be considered.

Dr. Yusuke Matsuyama
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

social determinants of health
commercial determinants of health
health inequalities
public health policy
life course epidemiology

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Parenting Practices on the Parent Perceived Impact of Child Oral Health on Family Wellbeing

by Nesa Aurlene, Jyothi Tadakamadla, Amit Arora, Jing Sun and Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1680; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19031680 - 01 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2091

Abstract

Background: Family characteristics and parenting practices could significantly influence child oral health and the impact of child oral health on family wellbeing. Aim: To determine the association between parenting practices and parent-perceived impact of children’s oral health condition on family wellbeing. Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1539 school children in India. Parents answered the short form of FIS (Family Impact Scale), and PCRQ (parent–child relationship questionnaire) to assess the impact of the child’s oral health on family and parenting practices, respectively. Two factors emerged on factor analysis of PCRQ: ‘Positive parenting’ and ‘Power assertive parenting’. The intra-oral examination was conducted for children to assess their dental caries experience and gingival health status. Unadjusted linear regression and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to determine the influence of parenting practices on FIS. Results: An increase in power assertion (B = 1.16) parenting was associated with increased FIS scores indicating a higher adverse impact of the child’s oral health on family wellbeing when parents used more power assertive parenting practices. On the other hand, an increase in positive parenting (B = −1.27) was associated with decreased FIS scores, indicating a lesser impact of child’s oral health on family wellbeing when parents used more positive parenting practices. Conclusions: Parenting practices were associated with parents’ perceptions of the effect of children’s oral health on family wellbeing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

11 pages, 738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association between Smoking during Pregnancy and Short Root Anomaly in Offspring

by Yuki Sagawa, Takuya Ogawa, Yusuke Matsuyama, Junka Nakagawa Kang, Miyu Yoshizawa Araki, Yuko Unnai Yasuda, Tsasan Tumurkhuu, Ganjargal Ganburged, Amarsaikhan Bazar, Toshihiro Tanaka, Takeo Fujiwara and Keiji Moriyama

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11662; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182111662 - 06 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2325

Abstract

Short root anomaly (SRA) is a dental anomaly with short dental roots and its pathogenesis is poorly understood. This study investigated the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and SRA in offspring. A survey was conducted on 558 children aged 8–16 years from two public schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. SRA was diagnosed using cases with a root-crown ratio of maxillary central incisors of ≤1.0. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess maternal lifestyle habits. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and SRA in offspring after adjusting for possible confounders. The prevalence of SRA in these children was 14.2%. Children whose mothers smoked from pregnancy to date were found to be 4.95 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.65–14.79) more likely to have SRA than those whose mothers never smoked, after adjusting for possible confounders. Additionally, children whose mothers had been exposed to passive smoking during pregnancy were found to be 1.86 times (95% CI: 1.02–3.40) more likely to have SRA than those whose mothers had not been exposed to passive smoke. Our population-based study suggests that maternal and passive smoking exposure during pregnancy can affect tooth root formation in children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

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21 pages, 957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aboriginal Health Workers Promoting Oral Health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women during Pregnancy: Development and Pilot Testing of the Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs Program

by Ariana Kong, Michelle Dickson, Lucie Ramjan, Mariana S. Sousa, Nathan Jones, Ravi Srinivas, Jemma Chao, Joanne Goulding and Ajesh George

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9576; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18189576 - 11 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3120

Abstract

Background: this study aimed to develop and pilot test the model of care, Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs, to train Aboriginal Health Workers to promote oral health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women. Methods: Participatory Action Research was employed to develop the different components of the model (oral health promotion resources, training workshop, and a culturally safe referral pathway to dental services). The model was piloted (pre-post), using an embedded mixed-methods design, to determine the acceptability, satisfaction, and any recommendations made by seven Aboriginal Health Workers at an antenatal service in Western Sydney, Australia. Results: there was a high level of satisfaction with the components of the model of care among the participants, who believed that the model could be integrated into practice. The training showed some improvement in oral health knowledge and confidence. The participants recommended strategies for discussing oral health with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women, and changes in public health dental policy to ensure that all women would be able to access affordable dental services through the referral pathway. Conclusion: the findings suggest a high level of satisfaction with the model of care among the Aboriginal Health Workers. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the short and long-term impact of the model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

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15 pages, 362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diet, Nutrition, and Oral Health: What Influences Mother’s Decisions on What to Feed Their Young Children?

by Amit Arora, Louise Chew, Kaye Kang, Lily Tang, Mohamed Estai, Jack Thepsourinthone, Navira Chandio, Jinal Parmar, Ashish M. Doyizode, Vipin Jain K. and Sameer Bhole

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 8159; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18158159 - 02 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4158

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to learn about mothers’ experiences with food choices for their pre-school children in underprivileged communities in Greater Western Sydney (GWS). A total of 20 mother-child dyads living in GWS were recruited to a qualitative study from an ongoing birth cohort study. Participants’ houses were visited for semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. The interviews yielded five main themes: (i) food choices, nutrition, and health; (ii) accessibility and availability of foods (iii) buying time for parents; (iv) child’s age and their preference on food choices; (v) conditioning certain behaviours by family and cultural factors. Nutrition literacy, child’s preferences, unhealthy food intake by family members, child’s demand, advertising and availability of harmful foods, and time constraints were all mentioned as hurdles to mothers making appropriate meal choices for their children. However, some identified facilitators were promoting parents’ knowledge, increasing access to health educational materials, upskilling mothers to providing healthier alternatives, regulating the marketing of unhealth foods. Although, the present study identified critical factors that influence mothers’ food choices for their young children, making healthy food choices is a complex practice as it is shaped by individual, social and environmental influences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

13 pages, 358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Health Behaviors and Self-Reported Oral Health among Centenarians in Nanjing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Xin Xu, Yuan Zhao, Danan Gu, Yaolin Pei and Bei Wu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7285; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18147285 - 07 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2424

Abstract

The role of health behaviors in oral health conditions in individuals of extremely old age remains understudied. This study included 185 participants aged 100 years or older from the Nanjing Centenarians Study (NCS) to examine the associations between health behaviors and oral health and investigate the potential moderating role of education and living arrangements in such relationships. The oral health status as an outcome included the self-reported oral health status and edentulous status. Health behavior variables included smoking, eating fruits, eating vegetables, participating in leisure activities, and practicing oral hygiene behaviors. Sociodemographic characteristics and health status were considered as confounders. Descriptive statistics, ordinal regression, and logistic regression models were used to address the research questions. Results showed that better oral health was reported by centenarians who were non-smokers, participated in more leisure activities, and practiced higher frequency of oral hygiene behaviors. Those who ate fruits daily and practiced more frequently oral hygiene behaviors were more likely to be dentate. The positive association of oral hygiene behaviors was stronger for centenarians who were formally educated and co-resided with family members. The results suggest that effective interventions should consider health behaviors and living arrangements in this growing population to improve their oral health status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

15 pages, 520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toothbrushing and School Refusal in Elementary School: A Longitudinal Study

by Yoshifumi Fukuya, Yusuke Matsuyama, Aya Isumi, Satomi Doi, Manami Ochi and Takeo Fujiwara

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(20), 7505; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17207505 - 15 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2182

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the association between toothbrushing frequency and school refusal among elementary school children. We used data from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) longitudinal study conducted between 2015 and 2016 in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. A questionnaire was distributed to all first-grade children aged 6 to 7 years (N = 3697, follow-up rate: 86.2%). Propensity score (PS) matching was applied to collapse the known covariates on toothbrushing frequency in grade 1 on the association with school refusal in grade 2. Among the followed children, 2.4% showed school refusal in grade 2 (89 children) and 23.5% (870 children) brushed their teeth once or less than once daily in grade 1. After propensity score matching, children with toothbrushing once or less than once daily in grade 1 were 2.25 (95% CI: 1.25–4.05) times more likely to show school refusal in grade 2, compared with those with toothbrushing twice or more a day. Our findings suggest that toothbrushing once or less than once daily is an independent risk factor for school refusal among children. Oral health promotion to recommend toothbrushing more than once a day could prevent school refusal. Further intervention studies investigating the mechanism and causality are warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic and Determinants of Oral Health across the Life Course)

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