Intergenerational Transmission of Psychosocial Stress to Child Oral Health

Objectives: Adverse home exposures and psychosocial stress have been suggested as determinants of child oral health. This study aimed to estimate the extent of the association between parent-reported child stress and child oral health outcomes.
Methods: We used baseline data from a sub-sample of children (2-12 years old) and their families (n=123) recruited to the Children’s Homes and Smiles Cohort Study (CHIMES) in Southwestern Ontario. Poisson and logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between parent-reported child stress and child oral health outcomes indicated by the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth and child oral health-related quality of life as assessed by the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP).
Results: Children whose parents had indicated they were living in stress had a significantly higher prevalence of decayed teeth (PR=1.26) and twice the odds of having poor oral health-related quality of life (OR=2.04, 95% CI 1.05, 3.95).
Conclusions: Psychosocial stress in children can contribute to adverse oral health outcomes. These findings suggest the need to alleviate child stress in the home and enhance living and psychosocial conditions.