Effect of dental caries and socioeconomic status on social capital throughout adolescence: a 6-year follow-up.

Gabriela Figueiredo Meira,Fernanda Ruffo Ortiz,Thiago Machado Ardenghi,Jessica Klöckner Knorst,Marília Cunha Maroneze

doi:10.1590/1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0104

Gabriela Figueiredo Meira, Fernanda Ruffo Ortiz + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0104

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of clinical and socioeconomic factors on social capital throughout adolescence. A cohort study was performed in 2012 (T1) with a random sample of 1,134 12-year-old adolescents from Santa Maria, Brazil. Questions on socioeconomic factors (maternal education, household income, household crowding) were answered by the parents. Clinicians evaluated their dental caries (decayed, missing, and filled status of permanent teeth) and gingival bleeding (using the Community Periodontal Index). Contextual variables including the mean income of the neighborhood in which the school was located were used (T1). The adolescents were revaluated in 2018 (T2) and answered questions regarding social capital (social trust, social control, empowerment, neighborhood security, and political effectiveness). A path analysis was used to test the relationship between the predictor variables (T1) and social capital (T2). A total of 768 adolescents were reevaluated at a 6-year follow-up (cohort retention rate of 67.7%). Most of the adolescents were girls, with a low household income, about 40% had caries experience (T1), and about 64% had high social capital (T2). The highest neighborhood's mean income was related to a lower household income in T1 (p < 0.01), and this was directly related to a low social capital in T2 (p = 0.04). Furthermore, caries experience at T1 was directly associated with low social capital at T2 (p = 0.03). Socioeconomic factors were also related to caries experience. Individuals who lived in neighborhoods with greater inequality such as families with a low household income and those with untreated dental caries in early adolescence, had a low social capital after follow-up.

Highlights

Submitted: February 4, 2020 Accepted for publication: May 18, 2020 Last revision: July 17, 2020Social capital has been considered an important psychosocial construct in research, where its impact on health inequalities among adolescents is often highlighted.[1,2] The concepts of social capital express characteristics of social structures, connecting levels of networks and trust, and it involves individuals utilizing their resources, facilitating collective actions.[3,4,5,6] In this context, psychosocial characteristics such as socialBraz
Structural factors allow for opportunities and inequalities to be generated, which can be moderated by proximal factors such as social networks established between family, friends and the community.[11,12,14]
Our findings suggest that individuals who lived in neighborhoods with greater inequality, from families with low income, and with untreated dental caries in early adolescence presented with a low social capital over their adolescence

Summary

Introduction

Submitted: February 4, 2020 Accepted for publication: May 18, 2020 Last revision: July 17, 2020Social capital has been considered an important psychosocial construct in research, where its impact on health inequalities among adolescents is often highlighted.[1,2] The concepts of social capital express characteristics of social structures, connecting levels of networks and trust, and it involves individuals utilizing their resources, facilitating collective actions.[3,4,5,6] In this context, psychosocial characteristics such as socialBraz. Adolescence is a transitional period between 10 and 19 years of age, characterized by several behavioral, psychological, and social changes.[8] These changes can generate immediate and life-long impacts,[9,10] influencing individuals’ perceptions about their oral health.[11,12] Health is a multi-causal concept that involves psychosocial, behavioral, and biological circumstances.[13] In this sense, social determinants frame health outcomes through exposure to different factors.[13] structural factors allow for opportunities and inequalities to be generated, which can be moderated by proximal factors such as social networks established between family, friends and the community.[11,12,14]

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