Association between psychosocial determinants of adverse childhood experiences and severe early childhood caries among First Nations children

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can have substantial repercussions for a child's overall health, and although ACE research on oral health is not extensive, findings do support a link between ACE and children's oral health status. 1 In a 2008 Canadian study using data from the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, researchers found that early childhood caries (ECC) was not only more prevalent in children who were maltreated, but also more severe, with a nearly 9-fold difference in mean decayed teeth (dt) score. 2 This finding was reinforced by a 2014 UK study by Keene et al, who saw significantly higher mean dt scores, but not mean missing or filled teeth (mt/ft) scores, in children who were subject to a child protection plan. 3 In a more recent 2017 study in the Netherlands by Sillevis Smitt et al, the serious impact of ACE on a child's oral health was further demonstrated. 4 The authors investigated children who underwent general anaesthesia (GA) for tooth extractions due to caries and noted that 23% were registered in the database of Advice and Support Centre of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Friesland before undergoing the procedure. 4 Moreover, an additional 13% of the

Food insecurity and dental caries prevalence in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Except four journal articles (one duplicate report of the same study, 39 one with the same data source, 38 and two with insufficient required data 36,40 ), the other six reports were all considered for meta‐analysis. Two studies independently reported outcomes for each study subgroup; therefore, they were separately incorporated into the systematic review and meta‐analysis 13,15 . Of these, only the data from one subgroup were dependent (two different outcomes from one single population) 13 .…”

“…This condition may lead to some serious health, developmental, and social consequences through changing children's dietary intakes 10 . Several cross‐sectional studies have also suggested the association between FI and childhood dental caries, albeit with some inconsistencies 12–15 . Moreover, with the ongoing battle with COVID‐19, there have been increases in FI, affecting vulnerable households globally 16 .…”

Association between lack of dental service utilisation and caregiver‐reported caries in Australian Indigenous children: A national survey

“…24 Socio-economic factors such as caregiver education, household financial hardship, household overcrowding, parents' occupation and employment status have been reported to affect the capacity of Australian Indigenous children to afford private dental services. 28 The Australian Government has implemented strategies to curb financial barriers such as the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) which provides utilisation/number of children without reduced dental service utilisation. CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio.…”

“…The socio‐economic disadvantage of the Australian Indigenous population can limit access to dental services, which exacerbates the development and implications of dental caries 24 . Socio‐economic factors such as caregiver education, household financial hardship, household overcrowding, parents' occupation and employment status have been reported to affect the capacity of Australian Indigenous children to afford private dental services 28 . The Australian Government has implemented strategies to curb financial barriers such as the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) which provides benefits for dental services, and the Dental Relocation and Infrastructure Scheme (DRISS), which provides relocation and infrastructure support grants for dental providers.…”

“… 24 Socio‐economic factors such as caregiver education, household financial hardship, household overcrowding, parents' occupation and employment status have been reported to affect the capacity of Australian Indigenous children to afford private dental services. 28 The Australian Government has implemented strategies to curb financial barriers such as the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) which provides benefits for dental services, and the Dental Relocation and Infrastructure Scheme (DRISS), which provides relocation and infrastructure support grants for dental providers. While these schemes have made private dental services more available, Australian Indigenous children are still face challenges in utilising and accessing these targeted dental initiatives.…”