Abstract
BackgroundTemporary employment leads to psychological distress and higher mortality, but data on its associations with oral health is limited. We examined whether having the experience of temporary employment was associated with tooth loss among working adults in Japan.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study from the 2010–2011 Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood study that analyzed 2652 participants aged 25–50 years (men = 1394; women = 1258). Independent variable was changes in employment status (continuous regular employment and the experience of temporary employment). Dependent variable was self-reported tooth loss (none, 1 tooth, 2 teeth, 3 teeth, 4 teeth, and more than 4 teeth). Covariates were sex, age, years of education, self-rated household economic status in early life at 5 years old, marital status, number of family members in the household, history of diabetes, and body mass index. We conducted a negative binomial regression analysis to estimate prevalence rate ratios (PRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) for tooth loss. We also confirmed the interaction term between changes in employment status and sex.ResultsThe median age of the participants was 37 years. The percentages of men and women who experienced temporary employment were 14.5% and 61.3%, respectively. Compared with continuous regular employment, the experience of temporary employment was significantly associated with tooth loss in both sexes after adjusting for the covariates (men: PRR = 1.50 [95%CI = 1.13, 2.00]; women: PRR = 1.42 [95%CI = 1.14, 1.76]). The interaction term between employment status and sex was not significant (p = 0.71).ConclusionsTemporary employment is adversely associated with oral health.
Highlights
Temporary employment leads to psychological distress and higher mortality, but data on its associations with oral health is limited
Our main hypothesis was that changes in employment status between regular and temporary employment would have a negative impact on tooth loss
We excluded 68 participants who did not answer the survey questions by themselves, 1256 participants who did not answer the question about current employment status, 43 participants who did not answer the question about initial employment status, 52 participants who were not aged 25–50 years old, 4 participants who did not indicate their sex, and 310 participants who did not answer the question about tooth loss
Summary
Temporary employment leads to psychological distress and higher mortality, but data on its associations with oral health is limited. We examined whether having the experience of temporary employment was associated with tooth loss among working adults in Japan. Oral diseases remain a significant public health problem due to their very high prevalence, major impact on quality of life [1], and costs on health care systems [2]. Only one crosssectional study has reported significant associations between the workplace-related factors such as precarious employment status and poor self-rated oral health [17]. Our main hypothesis was that changes in employment status between regular and temporary employment would have a negative impact on tooth loss.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
