Does oral health influence school performance and school attendance? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aim To examine the evidence on the influence of oral health status on school performance and school attendance in children and adolescents. Design A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA included epidemiological studies that assessed concomitantly oral health measures, participants’ school performance and/or school attendance. Electronic search was conducted on MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and LILACS. Studies published up to May 2018 in any language were eligible. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. Meta‐analysis was used to obtain pooled estimates between oral health measures and school performance and school attendance. Results Eighteen studies were included. Of them, fifteen studies were used for the meta‐analyses. Most studies were assessed as moderate quality. Children with one or more decayed teeth had higher probability of poor school performance (OR = 1.44 95%CI: 1.24‐1.64) and poor school attendance (OR = 1.57 95%CI: 1.08‐2.05) than caries‐free children. Poor parent's perception of child's oral health increased the odds of worse school performance (OR = 1.51 95%CI: 1.10‐1.92) and poor school attendance (OR = 1.35 95%CI: 1.14‐1.57). Conclusions Children and adolescents with dental caries and those reporting worse oral health experience poor school performance and poor school attendance.

Influence of dental caries on oral health‐related quality of life, school absenteeism and school performance among Nepalese schoolchildren

“…This could explain how oral diseases (particularly dental caries) have an impact on OHRQoL, which again negatively influence school performance. Association between untreated dental caries and high school absenteeism consequently resulting in poor school performance is in concordance with recent systematic reviews, which most likely is the case here as well . Kaewkamnerdpong and Krisdapong also reported similar findings.…”

“…Furthermore, these oral problems also affect the schoolwork and learning process, as children are likely to miss school due to oral pain or infection, which are often consequences of untreated dental caries in children . This was evident in recent systematic reviews, which concluded that children with a high dental caries rate have poor school attendance and poor academic achievement . In a longitudinal study, when treatments for decayed teeth were provided, significant improvement on OHRQoL was demonstrated among South Brazilian adolescents …”

Tendencia y factores asociados a la frecuencia de cepillado dental en menores de doce años, Perú 2013-2018

“…Hay evidencia sobre la correlación entre el índice de higiene oral y la calidad de vida relacionada a la salud bucal (26) . Adicionalmente, una revisión sistemática establece que los niños con uno o más dientes con lesiones de caries genera consecuencias negativas en el desempeño y asistencia escolar cuando se comparan con niños con dentición saludable (27) ; tendencias de AFC en países desarrollados muestran mejor adherencia educativa (28) . En la mayoría de las investigaciones, al igual que en el presente estudio, las frecuencias de cepillado incrementan con la edad.…”

Association between social conditions and oral health in school failure

“…In the dental context, there is some evidence that dental caries, toothache, gingivitis and dentofacial features are oral disorders that compromise academic activities, increasing absenteeism and decreasing the school performance of children and adolescents 13 - 15 . However, nothing is known about the impact of oral changes on school failure.…”