Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
BMC Oral Health. 2021 Apr 19;21(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s12903-021-01562-8.
Sexual and oral health are important areas of focus for adolescent wellbeing. We assessed for the prevalence of sexual abuse among adolescents, oral health factors associated with this history, and investigated whether sexual abuse was a risk indicator for dental anxiety, caries experience and poor oral hygiene.
This was a cross-sectional study conducted between December 2018 and January 2019 among adolescents 10-19 years old in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Survey data collected included respondents' age, sex, and socioeconomic status, oral health risk factors (dental anxiety, frequency of tooth brushing intake of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals, flossing, dental visits, smoking, alcohol intake, use of psychoactive substances), caries experience, oral hygiene status, history of sexual abuse, and sexual risk behaviors (age of sexual debut, history of transactional sex, last sexual act with or without condom, multiple sex partners). Regression models were constructed to determine the association between outcome variables (dental anxiety, presence of caries experience and poor oral hygiene) and explanatory variables (oral health risk factors and history of sexual abuse).
The prevalence of sexual abuse in our cohort was 5.9%: 4.3% among males and 7.9% among females. A history of sexual abuse was associated with alcohol consumption (p = 0.009), cigarette smoking (p = 0.001), and a history of transactional sex (p = 0.01). High/severe dental anxiety was significantly associated with increased odds of a history of sexual abuse (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.10, 2.98), but not with caries experience (AOR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.15, 2.97) nor poor oral hygiene (AOR = 1.68; 95% CI 0.95, 2.96). Dental anxiety was associated with increased odds of alcohol intake (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.19, 2.56), twice daily tooth brushing (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.01, 2.17) and daily consumption of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.60, 2.54). Caries experience was associated with increased odds of using psychoactive substances (AOR = 4.83; 95% CI 1.49, 15.62) and having low socioeconomic status (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.18, 0.92). Poor oral hygiene was associated with increased odds of having middle socioeconomic status (AOR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.05, 1.93) and daily consumption of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals (AOR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.08, 1.78).
Adolescents who are highly dentally anxious need to be screened for a history of sexual abuse to facilitate access to professional care and support.
性健康和口腔健康是青少年健康的重要关注点。我们评估了青少年性虐待的流行率、与该病史相关的口腔健康因素，并调查了性虐待是否是牙齿焦虑、龋齿经历和口腔卫生不良的风险指标。
这是 2018 年 12 月至 2019 年 1 月期间在尼日利亚伊费市 10-19 岁青少年中进行的横断面研究。收集的调查数据包括受访者的年龄、性别和社会经济地位、口腔健康风险因素（牙齿焦虑、刷牙频率、摄入精制碳水化合物之间的牙线、看牙医、吸烟、饮酒、使用精神活性物质）、龋齿经历、口腔卫生状况、性虐待史和性风险行为（性初体验年龄、交易性行为史、最后一次性行为有无使用避孕套、多个性伴侣）。构建回归模型以确定结局变量（牙齿焦虑、龋齿经历和口腔卫生不良）与解释变量（口腔健康风险因素和性虐待史）之间的关联。
我们队列中性虐待的流行率为 5.9%：男性为 4.3%，女性为 7.9%。性虐待史与饮酒（p=0.009）、吸烟（p=0.001）和交易性行为史（p=0.01）有关。高度/严重的牙齿焦虑与性虐待史的发生显著相关（OR=1.81；95%CI 1.10，2.98），但与龋齿经历（OR=0.66；95%CI 0.15，2.97）或口腔卫生不良（OR=1.68；95%CI 0.95，2.96）无关。牙齿焦虑与饮酒（OR=1.74；95%CI 1.19，2.56）、每日刷牙两次（OR=1.48；95%CI 1.01，2.17）和每日摄入精制碳水化合物之间的关系（OR=2.01；95%CI 1.60，2.54）有关。龋齿经历与使用精神活性物质（OR=4.83；95%CI 1.49，15.62）和社会经济地位较低（OR=0.40；95%CI 0.18，0.92）的几率增加有关。口腔卫生不良与社会经济地位中等（OR=1.43；95%CI 1.05，1.93）和每日摄入精制碳水化合物之间的关系（OR=1.38；95%CI 1.08，1.78）有关。
高度牙齿焦虑的青少年需要接受性虐待史的筛查，以方便获得专业护理和支持。
