The relationships between unmet social needs, oral health measures, and dental service utilization in a pediatric population

Objectives

Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) have been linked to health, including oral health and oral health behaviors. Objectives of this retrospective records review were to evaluate the relationships between self-reported unmet social needs and (1) oral health measures and (2) dental service utilization in a pediatric population at a hospital-based dental clinic.

Methods

Children 2–5 years of age whose families had completed a SDoH survey and who had an encounter with one United States (U.S.) urban children's hospital dental clinic within 6 months (± 3 months) of the survey date were included. A chart review was performed, and information was collected about the child's (1) oral health (e.g., plaque level, presence of caries) and (2) dental service utilization (e.g., no-show rates, number of dental surgeries). The data of patients with one or more parental/caretaker-reported unmet social needs were compared with that of patients with no unmet social needs.

Results

Inclusion criteria were met by 2646 children. Those with unmet social needs had significantly higher no-show rates at scheduled appointments than those without unmet social needs (p-value <0.001). Patients who identified as African/Black were more likely to report unmet social needs. There was no statistically significant difference in oral health measures of patients with or without unmet social needs.

Conclusions

Children in this population demonstrated varying associations between unmet social needs, health measures, and health behaviors, suggesting a likely complicated association between unmet social needs and health.