Which life course model better explains the association between socioeconomic position and periodontal health?

Abstract

The Critical Period model was better at explaining association between socioeconomic position and periodontal health, such as the adulthood socioeconomic variables (SEP), had a stronger effect than childhood factors on periodontal disease. The Social Mobility model explained more of the variation in the association between SEP and periodontal health among women than among men.

Early‐life socioeconomic position and periodontal status in Korean adults

“…When comparing PRs among high‐high‐low, high‐low‐high, and low‐high‐high pathways, the currently disadvantaged group had higher PRs than their counterparts except for the high‐low‐high pathway in men. This finding coincided with previous studies which showed that oral health in adult life could be more influenced by current rather than past socioeconomic conditions .…”

“…In our findings, adulthood SEP, namely income, was more strongly related to periodontal status than parental education and own education. According to a newly reported study, poorer periodontal status was associated with household income and not predicted by SEP disadvantage in childhood .…”

“…Each participant's number of remaining teeth was enumerated with the highest number of teeth set to 28, excluding wisdom teeth. Periodontal pocket depth was measured at six sites on tooth, numbers 11,16,17,26,27,31,36,37,46, and 47. The calibrated dentists did clinical examinations with the subject seated on a dental chair with a light and mouth mirror and a WHO periodontal probe.…”

“…The Health 2000 Survey in Finland did not show any relationship between parental education level and adult periodontal health in a fully adjusted model . A recently published study also showed that the father's occupation was not associated with periodontitis among a Korean population aged 30–59 . Therefore, additional knowledge is needed on the association between early childhood SEP and adult periodontal health using the life‐course approach.…”

The effect of fathers’ and mothers’ educational level on adult oral health in Japan

“…Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health have been demonstrated in many epidemiologic studies; lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to have poor oral health than higher ones. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that childhood socioeconomic status is associated with oral health in adulthood, although some have denied this association. A previous study showed significant associations between childhood economic status and adult oral health in Japan, where most dental care as well as medical care has been universally covered by the public health insurance system and tax transfers.…”