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Socio‐Economic Differences in the Oral Health of Irish Adolescents: The Potential Role of Behavioural, Material and Psychosocial Factors

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Background/Objectives Socio‐economic inequalities in oral health are a universal phenomenon. This study investigated socio‐economic differences in Irish adolescents' oral health and the potential role of behaviour (oral health behaviours), material (structural, material and economic constraints) and psychosocial factors (parental stress and family structure) in these differences. Methods Data analysed were from the first three waves of the Growing Up in Ireland child cohort survey on self‐ (self‐rated oral health (SROH)) and parent‐reported oral health outcomes (dental fillings) at age 17/18 years; socio‐economic status (SES) measures, behavioural, material and psychosocial factors at 13 years; and potential confounders at 9 years of age. Logistic regression was used to study associations between oral health outcomes and SES indicators and for mediation analysis. Results Socio‐economic disadvantage was associated with poorer oral health outcomes, with gender‐specific patterns. Young males from the lowest educational and income groups had higher odds of suboptimal (fair/poor) self‐rated oral health (odds ratio (OR) Education : 2.31 (1.29; 4.13) and OR Income : 1.72 (1.16; 2.56)), and those in the lowest income quintile and with full medical cards had higher odds of dental fillings (ORs Income : 1.58–1.82 and ORs Medical card : 1.44–1.65) compared with higher socio‐economic groups. Young females showed significant associations between selected socio‐economic indicators (education, income, occupation and medical status) (ORs: 1.39–3.34) and dental fillings, with education demonstrating the strongest association (ORs Education : 1.91–3.34). For males, material, behavioural, and psychosocial factors mediated the SES–SROH relationship (97%–100%, 22%–69% and 5%–56% respectively), whereas for dental fillings, mediation was observed for material (11%–55%) and psychosocial (10%–37%) factors, with minimal mediation by behavioural factors (0%–2%). Among females, material factors were the primary mediators of the SES–dental fillings relationship (11%–55%), with smaller contributions from behavioural (0%–21%) and psychosocial (0%–26%) factors. Conclusion Social disparities in oral health are common among Irish adolescents with gender‐specific patterns. Material factors were the primary pathway explaining these inequalities, though the strength and nature of these relationships vary by oral health outcome and gender.

Source: Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology

DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.70043