People who experienced socioeconomic deprivation as children have been found to be 12-16% less likely to go to the dentist for preventive visits as teenagers and adults.
A new University of Bristol study found that early socioeconomic disadvantage (SED) led to reduced dental attendance even at the age of 17, when NHS dental care is free of charge. This suggests that cost is not the only factor in the relationship between deprivation and fewer preventive dental visits.
For example, perceived importance of oral health behaviours was found to be the strongest predictor of regular dental visits at the age of 17 and 23. The researchers said that this perception can be shaped during adolescence through different exposures and socialisation alongside early SED impact.
Presence of dental anxiety was another key predictor of irregular dental visits at ages 17 and 23, affecting 8.2% of the cohort.
Reducing the impact of deprivation
Study lead Amira Mohamed said: ‘This study suggests that early life is a really key time for influencing oral health behaviours and outcomes later in life. We need to be looking to make early interventions to encourage better oral health for all, rather than only tackling inequalities in access to dental care in adulthood.
‘We should be doing more to provide a comprehensive oral health education for children and teens to minimise the socioeconomic disadvantage that we see from this study. Community based approaches can also provide support and encourage regular dental visits.’
How were the findings reached?
The study used data from 2,468 participants at 17 years and 1,639 participants at 23 years from the University of Bristol’s longitudinal ‘Children of the 90s’ questionnaire.
The researchers noted that this was a relatively affluent cohort, with 91% of 17-year-olds in the study going for regular dental check-ups. However, this percentage did fall to 71.3% at 23 years.
Despite this, marked inequalities were still found the study, which its authors said could point to a more unequal overall picture throughout the UK.
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