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Caries

Depression and Oral Health: Findings from National Survey of Children's Health

58 - Depression and Oral Health: Findings from National Survey of Children’s Health

Friday, May 22, 2026
11:40 AM - 11:55 AM PST
Has Audio
Abstract:

Purpose: To examine the association between depression and oral health outcomes in U.S. pediatric population.

Methods: Data obtained from 2022-2023 National Survey of Children’s Health were analyzed. The study-sample included 104,777 individuals representing ≈68.78 million one to 17-year old children and adolescents in the United States. The outcome of interest was pediatric oral health problems, measured by parental survey questionnaires indicating whether their child had dental caries, toothaches, and/or bleeding gums within the past 12 months. Children’s depression history was the independent variable, assessed by parental survey questionnaires indicating whether their child had depression at any point in their lives. Analyses included descriptive statistics using Rao-Scott chi-square tests, and simple and multiple logistic regression.



Results: The prevalence of oral health problems amongst children with depression was 22.48% and 13.61% amongst those who did not have a reported history of depression (P-value < .0001). The unadjusted odds ratio is 1.84 (95% CI: 1.61 - 2.11). After controlling for the participant’s age, sex, race, ethnicity, family income-to-poverty ratio, nativity, household language, health insurance type, parental education, parental emotional support, adverse childhood experience, household smoking exposure, neighborhood support, and dental visit within past year, children with depression were 31% more likely to have one or more oral health problems including toothache, bleeding gums, and/or dental decay or cavities (OR= 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11 - 1.54).





Conclusion: Findings indicate a significant association between depression and oral health outcomes among U.S. children and adolescents, underscoring the need for more integrated pediatric healthcare approaches.

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