Association between social conditions and oral health in school failure

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of school failure among Brazilian adolescents with social conditions and aspects of oral health through hierarchical analysis. METHODS: A state-wide survey of 5,558 adolescents from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, inquired about the sociodemographic and social capital of participants by using a structured questionnaire. Trained and calibrated professionals performed intraoral examinations and interviews in the households. Questions about the access to dentist, reason for and frequency of using dental services, toothache episodes and impact of oral conditions on daily activities (OIDP) were applied. Oral examinations evaluated caries experience, tooth losses, periodontal problems, presence of open bite, and maxillary and mandibular overjet. School failure was estimated according to the teenagers’ years of schooling. The independent variables were grouped into three blocks: sociodemographic and economic characteristics, social capital and oral health aspects. The multiple hierarchical logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with school failure. RESULTS: Of the total sample, information about schooling of 5,162 adolescents was obtained, of whom 29.6% presented school failure. We found that adolescents over the age of 16 years who did not declare themselves as white, female, with feelings of insecurity, unhappiness, with toothache, caries, tooth losses, affected by dentofacial and/or periodontal changes, were more likely to fail at school. CONCLUSION: Oral disorders and social factors were associated with school failure in adolescents. A successful school trajectory was a strong determinant of health, therefore actions between the educational and health sectors must be developed for adolescents, especially those with this profile.

Educational performance and conduct problem trajectories from childhood to adolescence: Observational and genetic associations in a Brazilian birth cohort

“…The prevalence of school failure (one quarter repeating at least one grade by age 11) in the current study was similar to that previously reported in South Brazil (Cunha et al., 2019 ). Studies involving conduct problems trajectories from Brazil are scarce and we are not aware of any other study in Brazil (or other low‐ and middle‐income country) that has delineated conduct problem trajectories from early childhood through adolescence.…”

Perception of malocclusion and school performance in adolescents: a systematic review

“…Neves et al 24 showed a prevalence of 8.5% in school absences due to oral problems. Lastly, Cunha et al 25 observed a significant association between malocclusion (such as accentuated overjet and open bite) and school performance, directing the measurement to school failure (OR, 1.40 (1.31-1.50)) after adjusting for confounding factors. Table 3 shows the main outcomes and quantitative results regarding the presence of malocclusion and its impact on school performance in each eligible study.…”

“…Eight studies 10,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] were included in the qualitative synthesis, and their outcomes are summarized below.…”

“…The studies were published between 2007 and 2021 and performed in five different countries: Brazil, 10,22,24,25 Chile, 26 India, 23 Mongolia, 27 and Peru. 21 All studies reported the following ethical criteria with the approval of an ethics committee and/or application of a consent form to the research participants.…”

“…Malocclusion was assessed using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), 10,22,23,26 self-perceived malocclusion, 21 malocclusion exam for the presence of dentofacial features, 24 the use of a Community Periodontal Index (CPI) probe, 25 and the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). 27 The tools used to measure the school performance of participants varied among grades, 10,22,23,26,27 self-reports by adolescents, 21,25 and absenteeism. 24 Table 2 details the information of each eligible study.…”