Abstract
BackgroundThe quantity–quality trade-off theory indicates that an increase in siblings might decrease a child’s well-being, but little is known about the impacts of sibling number on children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This study aims to investigate the effects of presence of siblings on children’s OHRQoL, and to further test whether there is an interaction effect between siblings’ presence and locations on children’s OHRQoL.MethodsData were obtained from an oral-health survey of 12-year-old children in Beijing, China, which was a part of the 4th National Oral Health Survey in the Mainland of China (2015–2016). This study included 2158 children data for analysis. OHRQoL was assessed by the child’s Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP). OIDP prevalence served as an indicator of OHRQoL. Children with and without siblings were recorded as non-single and single children, respectively. Dental variables, including active caries, gingival bleeding, and calculus, were reported. A logistic regression model was applied to investigate the association of siblings’ presence and OIDP prevalence. A synergy index was used to assess the possible interaction effect between siblings’ presence and location on OIDP prevalence.ResultsSixty percent of Chinese children reported suffering OIDP in the previous six months. OIDP prevalence for non-single and single children were 68.3% and 56.9%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of OIDP for non-single children was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.63), and the adjusted OR of OIDP for non-single and rural children was 2.03 (95% CI: 1.47, 2.81). The synergy index between siblings’ presence and location on OIDP was 2.18 (85% CI: 1.30, 3.67), which indicates that an excessive risk increase for OIDP was observed among non-single and rural children.ConclusionsChildren with siblings are more likely to report OIDP and have lower OHRQoL, especially those from rural areas. These findings indicate that oral-health interventions should be given priority for non-single and rural children.
Highlights
The quantity–quality trade-off theory indicates that an increase in siblings might decrease a child’s well-being, but little is known about the impacts of sibling number on children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)
As oral health is crucial for general health, OHRQoL is recognized by World Health Organization (WHO) and serves as a segment of the Global Oral Health Program [9]
Uα 2(1−P)P d2 with parameters as listed below: (1) the prevalence (P) of caries among 12-year-old children in Beijing in the 3rd oral health survey in 2005 was 28.9%; (2) the level of significance was at 5%; (3) the deviation (d) = 0.1P; (4) design effect (Deff ) = 2
Summary
The quantity–quality trade-off theory indicates that an increase in siblings might decrease a child’s well-being, but little is known about the impacts of sibling number on children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 estimated that oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide [1]. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a selfreport measurement of oral health status, which captures functional, social, and psychological impacts of oral disease [5]. Unlike traditional measurements focusing on clinical indices, OHRQoL is more concerned about impact of oral health problems on quality of life [6]. OHRQoL can investigate the impact of oral health conditions in relation to general health perceptions, allowing for comparisons between different diseases [7]. As oral health is crucial for general health, OHRQoL is recognized by World Health Organization (WHO) and serves as a segment of the Global Oral Health Program [9]
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