Attending regular dental visits during childhood has a positive effect on adult oral health, according to a large study of over 4,699 individuals. The research shows that early dental attendance establishes better oral hygiene habits that persist into adulthood, contributing to improved oral health outcomes across the lifespan.
- Regular childhood dental visits had a positive direct effect on adult oral health at age 46, with individuals showing better oral health outcomes.
- Children who attended dental visits regularly developed better oral hygiene behaviors that carried into adulthood.
- Twenty-three percent of study participants reported poor oral health in adulthood, with higher rates among those with poor childhood dental attendance.
- Poor adult oral health was more common among individuals who brushed less than twice daily, had systemic diseases, smoked, or had a history of dental problems.
Attending dental visits during childhood may positively affect adults' oral health, according to a large new study published on October 13 in the Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.
Interventions that encourage regular visits to the dentist during childhood, alongside addressing social inequalities, may help improve oral health trajectories across the lifespan, the authors wrote.
“These findings underscore the multifactorial nature of long-term oral health trajectories and reinforce existing evidence on the lasting impact of early-life health behaviours on oral health outcomes across the life course,” wrote co-author Aina Najwa Mohd Khairuddin of the faculty of dentistry at King's College London in the U.K.
Early-life experiences, specifically attending dental visits regularly, can play a major role in molding oral health trajectories in adulthood.
To explore differences in adult perceived oral health status and to examine the pathways linking childhood dental attendance to adult oral health, a study was completed using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study that included more than 4,699 individuals born in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Individuals’ oral health outcomes were evaluated via self-reported information at age 26 and self-rated oral health status at age 46. Childhood dental attendance patterns were taken from follow-up data gathered at ages 5, 10, and 16. Path analysis was conducted to investigate potential pathways between childhood dental visits and oral health status in adulthood, which incorporated socioeconomic status, oral health routines, and general health throughout patients’ lives, according to the study.
Of those included in the study, 23% reported poor oral health. Additionally, poor oral health occurred more often among individuals who brushed less than twice per day, had systemic diseases as children or adults, a history of dental problems, and smoked, the authors wrote.
Though the pattern was weak, childhood dental attendance pattern had a positive direct effect on adult oral health at age 46 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1 to 1.06). Furthermore, regular dental visits in childhood were associated with better oral hygiene behaviors (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.08) and in turn marginally were linked to better oral health in adulthood (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.07), they wrote.
Finally, dental problems in early adulthood did not mediate the effect of childhood dental attendance; however, they were linked to worse oral health in middle adulthood (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.19), the authors wrote.
Nevertheless, the study had limitations, including that it relied on self-reported data, which can introduce biases, they wrote.
“This study suggests the pathways through which childhood dental attendance pattern influences self-rated oral health at age 46, demonstrating the long-term impact of early dental attendance,” Khairuddin and colleagues wrote.
