Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39989122›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health dentistry2025

Caries Trajectories From Childhood to Adulthood Associated With Mental Disorders in Midlife.

Begoña Ruiz, Jonathan M Broadbent, W Murray Thomson, Sandhya Ramrakha, Joseph Boden, Geri McLeod, Terrie E Moffitt, Avshalom Caspi, Richie Poulton

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health dentistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Begoña RuizFaculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1340-2944
Jonathan M BroadbentSir John Walsh Research Institute, Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8905-398X
W Murray ThomsonSir John Walsh Research Institute, Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0588-6843
Sandhya RamrakhaDunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Division of Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Joseph BodenChristchurch Health and Development Study, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Geri McLeodChristchurch Health and Development Study, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Terrie E MoffittDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Avshalom CaspiDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Richie PoultonDunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Division of Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Funding

Is mental disorder a preventable cause of age-related disease? The Dunedin Study.R01AG032282 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI CASPI, AVSHALOM, MOFFITT, TERRIE E · 2009 to 2025
$9.5M
Science CoreP2CHD065563 · NICHD · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI James Moody · 2015 to 2026
$5.7M
Health Research Council (New Zealand) 15-265Health Research Council (New Zealand) 16-600Health Research Council (New Zealand) 16-604Medical Research Council (UK) MR/P005918/1Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (New Zealand)National Institute on Aging (USA) R01AG032282New Zealand Health Research CouncilNIA NIH HHS R01 AG032282NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD065563
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Oral and mental health are integral to overall health and well-being. Primary dentition caries is associated with poorer oral and general health and faster aging by midlife, but it remains unclear whether these associations also hold for mental health.

objectivesTo investigate whether primary dentition caries, caries experienced in adolescence and adulthood, and caries trajectories across the life course are associated with mental disorders in the fifth decade of life in two New Zealand birth cohorts.

methodsData on childhood caries and adult mental disorders were obtained from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study and the Christchurch Health and Development Study. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to estimate associations between caries at age 5 and mental disorders at age 45/40 for Dunedin and Christchurch studies, respectively. Additional analyses using Dunedin Study data investigated associations between permanent dentition caries trajectories from ages 9 to 45 and mental disorders at age 45. All analyses adjusted for sex, perinatal health, childhood SES, childhood IQ, and adult personality.

resultsPrimary dentition caries experience was not associated with mental disorders in midlife in either cohort. Dunedin Study participants who were in a less favorable permanent dentition caries trajectory had higher rates of mental disorders at age 45 than those in the low-caries trajectory.

conclusionsPeople who experience poor oral health across the life course are also those who suffer from poorer mental health in mid-adulthood. A lifelong trajectory of poorer dental health indicates poorer mental health and well-being in adult life.

Indexed as

Dental CariesMental DisordersAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew Zealandcohort studiesdental cariesdental public healthepidemiologymental disordersoral healthpublic health

Identifiers

PMID39989122
PMCPMC12147428

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.