Tay Kangjie, Beh Cassandra Li Jean, Babar Muneer Gohar, Kweh Ting Jing, Priya Ekta, Pau Allan
School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
BDJ Open. 2021 Jan 19;7(1):2. doi: 10.1038/s41405-021-00058-5.
Tooth pain among adolescents is a common event that impacts substantially on quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of race in the tooth pain experience and associated care-seeking.
A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 14-18 years from four different public schools in Kuala Lumpur. Socio-demographic, pain symptoms, and social impacts data were collected as well as medication use and visiting a dentist for tooth pain.
Of 1473 questionnaires distributed, 1452 (98.6%) completed questionnaires were returned, with 269 (18.5%) reported having experienced tooth pain in the past 1 month. Those who identified as Indian (26.1%) were more likely to report tooth pain compared to Chinese (16.5%) and Malay (20.9%). In regression analysis, no factors were identified as independently associated with medication use, but Chinese and Indians compared to Malays, and those expressing difficulty sleeping were more likely to report visiting a dentist for treatment.
Racial variations in the tooth pain experience and care-seeking have been identified. This may be related to socio-economic status, but further research is needed on the role of culture-related care-seeking and accessibility of dental services.
青少年牙痛是一种常见情况，对生活质量有重大影响。本文旨在探讨种族在牙痛经历及相关就医行为中的作用。
对吉隆坡四所不同公立学校的14至18岁学生进行了横断面问卷调查。收集了社会人口统计学、疼痛症状、社会影响数据以及药物使用情况和因牙痛看牙医的情况。
在分发的1473份问卷中，回收了1452份（98.6%）完成的问卷，其中269份（18.5%）报告在过去1个月内经历过牙痛。与华裔（16.5%）和马来裔（20.9%）相比，印度裔（26.1%）更有可能报告牙痛。在回归分析中，未发现有因素与药物使用独立相关，但与马来裔相比，华裔和印度裔以及那些表示睡眠困难的人更有可能报告因治疗而去看牙医。
已发现牙痛经历和就医行为存在种族差异。这可能与社会经济地位有关，但需要进一步研究与文化相关的就医行为及牙科服务可及性的作用。
