Association between severe unaddressed dental needs and developmental health at school entry in Canada: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundDental problems are the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, with up to half of all kindergarten children having tooth decay. However, there is a lack of evidence of whether unaddressed dental needs (UDNs) are associated with children’s developmental health, a concept reflecting holistic child development - encompassing physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between UDNs and developmental health among kindergarten children using the Early Development Instrument (EDI).MethodsWe examined associations between teacher reported UDNs and developmental vulnerability on the EDI. Children were included in the study if they were enrolled in kindergarten in publicly-funded schools in Canada between 2010 and 2015, had been in the classroom for at least one month, and had no more than 25% of missing items on the questionnaire.ResultsAmong 576,264 children who met inclusion criteria (95.4% of eligible children), 2465 (0.4%) were identified as having UDNs by their teachers. Children with UDNs had 4.58 to 8.27 times higher odds of being vulnerable on any of the five developmental domains (physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication skills and general knowledge), compared to children without UDNs.ConclusionIn this study, teacher-reported UDNs were associated with developmental vulnerability in kindergarten children. Teacher reported unmet dental needs in kindergarten children may be a proxy for poor developmental health at school entry, and thus a marker for supporting both children’s oral health and early developmental needs.

Early Childhood Caries, Masticatory Function, Child Early Cognitive, and Psychomotor Development: A Narrative Review

“… 29 ECC can also cause masticatory dysfunction, 30 affecting intellectual development and other developmental milestones. 14 18 31 32…”

“…Only a few articles mention that caries in children might affect their cognitive function and neurodevelopment. 18 …”

“… 3 One of the significant effects of caries is deterioration in the ability to chew, 13 which further affects their nutritional intake, pain, and quality of life. 4 In addition, previous studies have found other negative effects of ECC on children's growth, such as psychomotor function and development, 11 14 15 16 17 cognition, 18 speech development, 3 11 19 as well as their well-being in adulthood. 20 Therefore, this article aims to provide a summary of the present literature about ECC and its effects on masticatory function, cognition, and other aspects of child development.…”

Assessment of dental morbidity in school-going children (6–10-year-old): A cross-sectional study

“…Unmet dental needs (UDNs) are not linked to children's developmental health, although there is insufficient research to support this. 3 The whole condition of a kid's physical, mental, intellectual, community, and emotional well-being is referred to as child health. To reach their full developmental potential, healthy children must live in families, communities, and settings that support this (National Research and Institute of 2004).…”

Inequalities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians seen through the lens of oral health: time to change focus

“…Oral disease impacts across the life-course and includes dental caries, gum disease and oral cancer, leading to pain, infections and lost productivity. Compromised nutrition resulting from oral disease leads to delayed growth and impaired cognitive and social development, which negatively impact concentration and school participation [ 27 , 34 ]. While the focus of care is mainly on individual treatment and chair-side oral health advice, most oral disease is largely untreated due to limited access to dental care owing to the often prohibitive cost of services and lack of education about preventing oral disease that mainly affects those who have been socially disadvantaged, including Aboriginal children [ 24 , 35 ].…”