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Socio‐economic status, social support, social network, dental status, and oral health reported outcomes in adolescents
Author(s) -
Vettore Mario V.,
Ahmad Saousan F. H.,
Machuca Carolina,
Fontanini Humberto
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1111/eos.12605
Subject(s) - social support , quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , social network (sociolinguistics) , structural equation modeling , dentistry , psychology , nursing , social psychology , statistics , mathematics , political science , law , social media
This study explored the relationships between sex, socio‐economic status, social support, social network, dental clinical status, dental pain, oral health‐related quality of life ( OHRQ oL), and self‐rated oral health ( SROH ) in adolescents. A cross‐sectional study involving 542 adolescents, aged 12–14 yr, was conducted in Dourados, Brazil, to collect dental clinical measures (dental caries, missing teeth, and dental trauma), as well as measures of social support, social network, dental pain, OHRQ oL, and SROH . Information on family income and parental education were collected from participant's parents. Structural equation modeling showed that higher income predicted better dental status and better SROH . Greater social support was linked to better dental status and better OHRQ oL. Having more social networks was directly linked to better dental status. Poor dental status was linked to dental pain and poor OHRQ oL. Dental pain predicted poor OHRQ oL and worse SROH . Poor OHRQ oL predicted worse SROH . Family income, social support, and social networks indirectly predicted dental pain via dental status. The latter was indirectly linked to OHRQ oL and SROH via dental pain. Social support and social networks indirectly predicted OHRQ oL and SROH via dental status and dental pain. Socio‐economic factors and social relationships should be considered when planning health promotion and dental care provision to improve an adolescent's oral health.