Oral Impacts on Quality of Life and Dental Attendance in 12- and 15-Year-Old Children in the UK

Studies on links between Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and use of dental services among UK children are lacking. This study aimed to assess the relationship between OHRQoL and dental attendance in 12- and 15-year-old children in the UK using secondary data from the UK Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS, 2013). Methods: OHRQoL was measured as the exposure using the Child-OIDP (Oral Impacts on Daily Performances), and dental attendance was the outcome in this analysis. Dental attendance was measured by asking children whether they visited the dentist regularly, only when in trouble, or never. Logistic regression models analysed the relationship between OHRQoL and dental attendance accounting for potential confounding factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviours, and anxiety. Results: Data from 4136 children aged 12 and 15 years found that the prevalence of dental attendance ‘only when in trouble or never’ was 20.5% among children who reported at least one impact, compared to 13.6% among children reporting no impacts. A social gradient was apparent, as 28% of children living in deprived areas exhibited problem-oriented dental attendance compared with 8.6% in affluent areas. Logistic regression unadjusted estimates of children who reported at least one impact on QoL had 1.64 times greater likelihood of visiting the dentist ‘only when in trouble or never’ compared to children reporting no impacts (OR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.24, 2.17). Adjusting for confounders reduced this to OR 1.39 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.77). Furthermore, the greater the number of negative impacts that were reported, the higher the odds of visiting a ‘dentist only when in trouble or never’. In the fully adjusted model, children who reported either two or more impacts had higher odds of visiting the dentist ‘only when in trouble’. Children who reported only one impact were as likely to seek dental treatment ‘only when in trouble’ as children reporting no impacts. Conclusions: Both poorer OHRQoL and problem-oriented attendance were more evident in children from lower-socio-economic backgrounds. Barriers to regular dental attendance affecting children from disadvantaged backgrounds should be addressed and dental care prioritised.