Adverse Childhood Experiences and Oral Health Conditions Among Middle-aged and Older Chinese Adults: Exploring the Moderating Roles of Education and Gender

Abstract

This study aims to examine whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with oral health conditions (denture use, difficulty in chewing, and edentulism) among middle-aged and older adults in China and if gender and adulthood education moderate the associations. Data were obtained from the 2014 and 2018 surveys from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N = 17,091) and logistic regressions were carried out. Results show that childhood hunger (OR = 1.12), loneliness (OR = 1.10) and family relations (OR = 1.07) were significantly associated with higher odds of denture use and there were significant associations between hunger (OR = 1.16) and difficulty in chewing. For the female subsample, education significantly moderated the adverse effect of childhood hunger on denture use and difficulty in chewing. Findings suggest that ACEs have long-lasting impacts on oral health conditions in later life and adulthood education might offer critical resources for females, helping them buffer the detrimental health impacts of ACEs.

Allostatic load and oral health later in life among middle‐aged and older adults: An analysis of population‐based panel data in China

“…Oral health is a major global public health challenge 1 . The aging population more often faces problems with poor oral health, including edentulism, denture use, and difficulty in chewing solid foods, which are closely related to the general health of older adults 2,3 . Oral conditions are associated with chewing, swallowing, communicating, and socialising, 4 and poor oral health may limit social contact and lead to loneliness 5 .…”

“…The limited evidence suggests that AL may affect oral health conditions, 11–14 and most of these studies focus only on western populations. Little research has been done on middle‐aged and older adults in China, who have lower educational attainment, fewer socioeconomic advantages, and poorer oral health knowledge and therefore more oral health problems 3,21 . Besides, previous studies on the associations between oral health and AL have mainly been conducted in middle‐aged populations, with limited evidence in older adults 22 .…”

“…Little research has been done on middle-aged and older adults in China, who have lower educational attainment, fewer socioeconomic advantages, and poorer oral health knowledge and therefore more oral health problems. 3,21 Besides, previous studies on the associations between oral health and AL have mainly been conducted in middle-aged populations, with limited evidence in older adults. 22 Older adults tend to have higher AL and may have more oral problems than their younger counterparts, while few studies have explored age differences in AL and oral health empirically.…”