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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults

Published on: February 2, 2020

Relationship between oral health in children and poverty related factors

Aldo Squassi1, Silvia Mauro, María José Mauro

  • 1Preventive and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Acta Odontologica Latinoamericana : AOL
|October 10, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Poverty significantly impacts children's oral health in Buenos Aires. Children facing social risks exhibited higher rates of dental caries, directly linked to socioeconomic factors like parental education and healthcare access.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

  • Poverty is a significant determinant of health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable populations.
  • Oral health in children is influenced by socioeconomic status, access to care, and environmental factors.
  • Suburban areas often present unique challenges regarding health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between poverty-related variables and oral health status in children.
  • To analyze the influence of socioeconomic factors on dental caries prevalence in a suburban population.
  • To identify specific poverty indicators associated with poor oral health outcomes in children.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 1,049 children, divided into a social risk group (n=579) and a control group (n=470).
  • Analysis of poverty-related variables: parental education, employment, and oral healthcare access.
  • Clinical oral examinations assessing DMFS, dmfs, DS, ds, Care Index, and plaque index, analyzed with statistical tests (t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square).

Main Results:

  • Children in the social risk group showed significantly higher dental caries indicators (DMFS, dmfs, DS, ds) compared to the control group.
  • A positive correlation was observed between increased poverty indicators and higher dental caries prevalence.
  • Neighborhoods with higher social risk incidence had a greater proportion of children with high cariogenic risk.

Conclusions:

  • Poverty-related variables are significantly associated with adverse oral health outcomes in children.
  • Socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in the development of dental caries among preschool and school-aged children.
  • Targeted interventions addressing socioeconomic disparities are essential for improving pediatric oral health in the studied region.

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