Summary
This cross-sectional analysis of 41,560 respondents from the SHARE survey demonstrates a significant association between childhood socioeconomic conditions and tooth retention in older adulthood, independent of current oral health determinants. Households with more than 25 books in childhood were associated with 1.4 more natural teeth, whilst poor childhood financial conditions were associated with 0.6 fewer teeth. The findings highlight the long-lasting lifecourse influence of early-life living conditions on oral health outcomes.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK policy and practice, as the UK participated in SHARE and experiences similar socioeconomic gradients in oral health. The results suggest that childhood socioeconomic interventions may have lasting benefits for dental health retention into older age, with implications for UK public health strategy and health inequalities reduction.
Key measures
Number of natural teeth at age 50+; childhood household book ownership (proxy for socioeconomic status); childhood financial conditions (self-reported); mean difference in tooth count with 95% confidence intervals
Outcomes reported
The study examined the association between early-life socioeconomic conditions and the number of natural teeth retained at age 50 and above across 14 European countries and Israel. Tooth retention was measured as a continuous outcome and analysed in relation to childhood household book ownership and reported financial circumstances.
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