Effects of Parental Migration on Dental Caries of Six- to Eight-Year-Old Children Using Structural Equation Modeling

Sichen Liu, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Shinan Zhang and Angkana Thearmontree ()
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Sichen Liu: Improvement of Oral Health Care Research Unit, Community Dentistry Division, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Shinan Zhang: Department of Dental Public Health, School of Stomatology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650000, China
Angkana Thearmontree: Improvement of Oral Health Care Research Unit, Community Dentistry Division, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-10

Abstract: This cross-sectional study aimed to document the relationship between dental caries, oral health behaviors, and the duration of parental migration in rural Yunnan, China, from September to December 2020. Seven rural primary schools with high parental migration were studied. The oral health status of 500 six- to eight-year-old students was assessed using clinical examination and caregivers’ interviews. A total of 51.8% of the children had at least one parent absent for at least 6 months (left-behind children). Among those children with parental migration <6 months, 40.0% consumed sugar twice or more daily and 82.8% of those with parental migration from 6 to 12 months brushed once a day or less. The percentage of daily sugar consumption twice or more and brushing once or less among those without parental migration were 36.0% and 68.6%. Prevalence of caries in permanent teeth (DMFT) in children without parental migration and those whose parental migration <6 months, 6 to <12 months, and ≤12 months were 30.9%, 20.0%, 28.7% and 19.8%, respectively. Out of several other causal pathways between parental migration and dental caries, our structural equation model delineated that sugar consumption is the important mediator variable. Special education programs may be needed to educate caregivers on sugar consumption for the left-behind children in rural areas.

Keywords: family separation; left-behind children; dental decay; oral hygiene; toothbrushing; dietary sugars; latent class analysis; structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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