Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Dec;161(6):1153-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.05.025. Epub 2012 Jun 23.

Children's dental health, school performance, and psychosocial well-being

Carol Cristina Guarnizo-Herreño  1 , George L Wehby
Affiliations

Children's dental health, school performance, and psychosocial well-being

Carol Cristina Guarnizo-Herreño et al. J Pediatr. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of dental health on school performance and psychosocial well-being in a nationally representative sample of children in the US.

Study design: We analyzed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health for 40,752-41,988 children. The effects of dental problems and maternal-rated dental health on school performance and psychosocial well-being outcomes were evaluated using regression models adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics.

Results: Dental problems were significantly associated with reductions in school performance and psychosocial well-being. Children with dental problems were more likely to have problems at school (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.37-1.72) and to miss school (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.23-1.64) and were less likely to do all required homework (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.68-0.85). Dental problems were associated with shyness, unhappiness, feeling of worthlessness, and reduced friendliness. The effects of dental problems on unhappiness and feeling of worthlessness were largest for adolescents between 15 and 17 years.

Conclusion: Preventing and treating dental problems and improving dental health may benefit child academic achievement and cognitive and psychosocial development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Edelstein BL, Chinn CH. Update on Disparities in Oral Health and Access to Dental Care for America’s Children. Academic Pediatrics. 2009;9:415–9. - PubMed
    1. Beltran-Aguilar ED, Barker LK, Canto MT, Dye BA, Gooch BF, Griffin SO, et al. Surveillance for dental caries, dental sealants, tooth retention, edentulism, and enamel fluorosis--United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2002. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2005;54:1–43. - PubMed
    1. Tomar SL, Reeves AF. Changes in the Oral Health of US Children and Adolescents and Dental Public Health Infrastructure Since the Release of the Healthy People 2010 Objectives. Academic Pediatrics. 2009;9:388–95. - PubMed
    1. Jurgensen N, Petersen P. Oral health and the impact of socio-behavioural factors in a cross sectional survey of 12-year old school children in Laos. BMC Oral Health. 2009;9:29. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sheiham A. Dental caries affects body weight, growth and quality of life in pre-school children. Br Dent J. 2006;201:625–6. - PubMed

Publication types