Inequalities in the dental health needs and access to dental services among looked after children in Scotland: a population data linkage study

BackgroundThere is limited evidence on the health needs and service access among children and young people who are looked after by the state. The aim of this study was to compare dental treatment needs and access to dental services (as an exemplar of wider health and well-being concerns) among child...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of disease in childhood 2018-01, Vol.103 (1), p.39-43
Main Authors: McMahon, Alex D, Elliott, Lawrie, Macpherson, Lorna MD, Sharpe, Katharine H, Connelly, Graham, Milligan, Ian, Wilson, Philip, Clark, David, King, Albert, Wood, Rachael, Conway, David I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Analysis
Anesthesia
Child
Child health
Child, Preschool
Children
Datasets
Demographic aspects
Dental caries
Dental health
Dental Health Services - statistics & numerical data
Dental insurance
Dental Schools
Dentistry
Female
Health aspects
Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data
Health Services Needs and Demand - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Information Storage and Retrieval
Male
Oral health
Pediatrics
Population studies
Scotland - epidemiology
Social Work - statistics & numerical data
Socioeconomic Factors
Teeth
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Summary:BackgroundThere is limited evidence on the health needs and service access among children and young people who are looked after by the state. The aim of this study was to compare dental treatment needs and access to dental services (as an exemplar of wider health and well-being concerns) among children and young people who are looked after with the general child population.MethodsPopulation data linkage study utilising national datasets of social work referrals for ‘looked after’ placements, the Scottish census of children in local authority schools, and national health service’s dental health and service datasets.Results633 204 children in publicly funded schools in Scotland during the academic year 2011/2012, of whom 10 927 (1.7%) were known to be looked after during that or a previous year (from 2007–2008). The children in the looked after children (LAC) group were more likely to have urgent dental treatment need at 5 years of age: 23%vs10% (n=209/16533), adjusted (for age, sex and area socioeconomic deprivation) OR 2.65 (95% CI 2.30 to 3.05); were less likely to attend a dentist regularly: 51%vs63% (n=5519/388934), 0.55 (0.53 to 0.58) and more likely to have teeth extracted under general anaesthesia: 9%vs5% (n=967/30253), 1.91 (1.78 to 2.04).ConclusionsLAC are more likely to have dental treatment needs and less likely to access dental services even when accounting for sociodemographic factors. Greater efforts are required to integrate child social and healthcare for LAC and to develop preventive care pathways on entering and throughout their time in the care system.
ISSN:0003-9888
1468-2044
DOI:10.1136/archdischild-2016-312389