Department of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Bradford Institute for Health Research, Temple Bank House, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2024 Oct;52(5):723-730. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12968. Epub 2024 Apr 28.
To describe the association between dental caries and school readiness in 5-year-old children taking part in the Born in Bradford (BiB) birth cohort, UK.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) assesses the school readiness of young children and is strongly predictive of future academic attainment. Children are recorded as 'emerging' (below expected), 'expected', or 'exceeding' in five key learning areas. The Oral Health Survey of 5-year-olds (OHS5) is undertaken biennially in England, assessing caries experience at a dentine threshold (dmft). EYFSP and OHS5 were available for a proportion of children participating in BiB. Odds ratios and confidence intervals for caries experience were established, and odds ratios adjusted for significant sociodemographic variables.
EYFSP and OHS5 data were available for 2.5% (n = 346) BiB participants. Nearly half (45.2%) had caries. A measure of socio-economic status, receiving free school meals, was the only demographic variable strongly related to caries experience (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.6-4.9). After adjustment, children 'emerging' in EYFSP learning areas had 1.6- to 2.2-fold (95% CI: 1.0-3.8) higher odds of experiencing caries. Children 'exceeding' EYFSP learning areas had 2.3- to 4-fold (95% CI: 0.1-0.9) lower odds of caries experience.
This is the first study to explore the association between caries experience and school readiness using a holistic assessment tool. The association was found across different learning areas and was comparable to and independent of socio-economic status. The findings indicate oral health-related absenteeism is not a causative factor. EYFSP shows potential to enhance the targeting of preventive interventions at a child, class or school level.
描述英国布拉德福德出生队列（BiB）中参与研究的 5 岁儿童的龋齿与入学准备之间的关系。
早期基础阶段概况（EYFSP）评估幼儿的入学准备情况，对未来学业成绩有很强的预测性。儿童在五个关键学习领域的记录结果为“崭露头角”（低于预期）、“预期”或“超越”。每两年在英格兰开展一次 5 岁儿童口腔健康调查（OHS5），评估牙本质阈值（dmft）下的龋齿患病情况。EYFSP 和 OHS5 可用于部分参与 BiB 的儿童。确定了龋齿患病情况的比值比和置信区间，并对显著的社会人口统计学变量进行了比值比调整。
EYFSP 和 OHS5 数据可用于 2.5%（n=346）的 BiB 参与者。近一半（45.2%）的儿童患有龋齿。社会经济地位的衡量标准，即获得免费校餐，是与龋齿患病情况关系最密切的唯一人口统计学变量（比值比：2.8，95%置信区间：1.6-4.9）。调整后，在 EYFSP 学习领域“崭露头角”的儿童患龋齿的可能性增加 1.6-2.2 倍（95%置信区间：1.0-3.8）。在 EYFSP 学习领域“超越”的儿童患龋齿的可能性降低 2.3-4 倍（95%置信区间：0.1-0.9）。
这是第一项使用整体评估工具探索龋齿患病情况与入学准备之间关系的研究。这种关联存在于不同的学习领域，与社会经济地位相当且独立。研究结果表明，口腔健康相关缺勤并不是一个致病因素。EYFSP 有可能增强针对儿童、班级或学校层面的预防干预措施的针对性。
