Exposure to screen time and dental neglect

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Child Development

Background:

• Dental neglect, defined as parental failure to meet a child's basic oral health needs, can lead to significant complications.
• Increasing screen time among children and parents presents a growing public health concern with potential health impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between screen time duration in children and their parents and the prevalence of dental neglect.
• To explore the relationship between screen habits and objective measures of children's oral health.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving 215 patients.
• Data collection included questionnaires on demographics, lifestyles, and screen time for both children and parents.
• Parental dental neglect was assessed using a standardized scale, while children's oral health was evaluated using decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft) and pulp, ulcers, fistula, abscess (pufa) indices.

Main Results:

• Dental neglect was significantly associated with infrequent unsupervised tooth brushing, frequent snacking, low physical activity, early screen exposure, and the presence of dental plaque.
• Extended screen time correlated with higher decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft) scores, indicating poorer oral health outcomes.
• Children not attending daycare exhibited significantly longer screen exposure compared to those in daycare.

Conclusions:

• Early and prolonged screen exposure in children is linked to detrimental effects on their oral health.
• Screen time emerges as a significant factor associated with dental neglect and poor oral hygiene in pediatric populations.