Oral health inequalities start early in life. Previous studies have looked at childhood socioeconomic circumstances, the early family environment and parental behaviours in relation to child oral health. This project will focus on another important social determinant of health. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as physical abuse, emotional neglect, parental separation or imprisonment, can increase the risk of psychological problems and behavioural problems, respiratory diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal diseases among children and adults.
Previous studies in dentistry have shown that ACEs are associated with childhood tooth decay, poor child oral health and lower oral health-related quality of life. ACEs have also been related to fewer dental visits and more tooth extractions in adults as well as poor oral health and greater tooth loss in older adults. Common limitations of previous studies are the use of cross-sectional data and the retrospective assessment of ACEs that introduces measurement bias. In addition, in most studies, different ACEs were combined into broad categories, thereby making it difficult to evaluate the effects of individual ACEs. Identifying which ACEs are more relevant to child oral health, their specific timing and potential underlying mechanisms can inform relevant policy and interventions at family level. Evidence from longitudinal studies will shed some lights on this important research area.