Added sugar intake by adolescents: A population-based study

Determination of dental caries, molar-incisor hypomineralization, and oral health-related quality of life in schoolchildren: A structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND

Some oral conditions can have psychosocial consequences that affect children's daily life and well-being.

AIM

To create a structural model for the determination of dental caries, molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH), and the impact of these conditions and socioeconomic status on schoolchildren's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

DESIGN

A representative cross-sectional study was conducted in Lavras, Brazil, with 1181 female and male schoolchildren 8-9 years of age. OHRQoL was measured using the Brazilian version of the CPQ8-10. Clinical examinations were performed by a calibrated dentist for the diagnosis of dental caries (WHO) and MIH (EAPD). Parents/caregivers answered questionnaires addressing the child's medical history and socioeconomic status. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

The model revealed that greater MIH severity (β = .874; p < .001) and worse socioeconomic status (β = -.060; p = .001) were associated with a greater number of teeth with caries experience. The higher the number of teeth with caries experience (β = .160; p = .007) and worse socioeconomic status (β = -.164; p < .001), the greater the negative impact on OHRQoL.

CONCLUSION

The model created showed that dental caries and socioeconomic status had a direct negative impact on the OHRQoL of schoolchildren and MIH had an indirect impact mediated by the occurrence of caries experience.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Adolescent Parents on Free Sugar and Influencing Factors about Recognition

Physiological problems caused by excessive intake of free sugar have been concerning important public health issues, especially the impact on adolescents. The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends controlling daily sugar intake in order to reduce the stress caused by high sugar uptake. Finding out the factors that affect adolescents’ sugar intake will help further interventions to control the intake of sugar. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 10 middle schools in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. Two classes of the first and second grades were randomly selected from each school, and their parents in these classes participated in the survey. Questionnaires were used to access the status of adolescent parents’ knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards free sugar. Out of 1136 valid participants, 70.4% of respondents were female with the mean (Standard Deviation) age of 41.76 (±5.27) years. They had a good attitude but relatively poor knowledge and behavior towards free sugar. Binary logistic regression analysis found that parents whose gender is female, with a high education level and a girl as their child, hold a high level of free sugar recognition. These findings could help free sugar control interventions for adolescents in the future.