Cumulative Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Traumatic Dental Injuries During Adolescence

 

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

  • In this study, 668 adolescents in the UK were assessed at age 15 to 16 for dental injury history, and these findings were analyzed with data regarding socioeconomic disadvantage. The point was to determine if adolescents with socioeconomic disadvantage are at an increased risk of dental injury. Parental unemployment and parents' not having owned a car were associated with a significant increased risk of child dental trauma by adolescence.

  • Vulnerable children have many health disadvantages, including a significantly increased risk of dental trauma. Dentists should advocate for appropriate policy and resources to allow for prevention and treatment of traumatic dental injuries in this vulnerable population.
–  James Boynton, DDS, MS

BACKGROUND/AIM

Studies on the association between socio-economic circumstances and traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are cross-sectional and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cumulative socio-economic disadvantage and TDIs among adolescents.

METHOD

Data from 668 participants in the East London Adolescents Community Health Survey (RELACHS) were analysed. Family socio-economic indicators (parental employment, car ownership and eligibility for free school meals) were collected when participants were in grades 7 (11-12 years), 9 (13-14 years) and 11 (15-16 years). The number of periods (RELACHS waves) adolescents lived in socio-economic disadvantage was counted for each socio-economic measure, ranging from 0 (never in disadvantage) to 3 (always in disadvantage). Adolescents were dentally examined for TDIs at age 15-16 years. The association between each measure of cumulative socio-economic disadvantage and TDIs was tested in logistic regression models adjusting for demographic factors.

RESULTS

Significant positive linear trends in the prevalence of TDIs were observed by the number of periods of parental unemployment and being without a family car, but not by eligibility for free school meals. Adolescents whose parents were always unemployed had 2.06 (95% CI: 1.12-3.80) greater odds of having TDIs than those whose parents were never unemployed. Similarly, adolescents from families that never owned a car had 2.17 (95% CI: 1.26-3.74) greater odds of having TDIs than those that always had a family car.

CONCLUSION

Cumulative socio-economic disadvantage during adolescence was associated with greater odds of having TDIs.

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