ArticleBMC public health2025
Analysis of factors influencing delayed treatment seeking for dental caries in preschool children: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Oral health status and associated factors among rural older adults in China using a 3D intraoral scanner: a population-based cross-sectional study in four provinces.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Early Childhood Caries in Preschool Children: A Multidimensional Analysis From Biological Mechanisms to Socioecological Interventions.Oral diseases · 2026Review
- Dental Fear and Anxiety in Children: Association with Individual and Familiar Factors Using Structural Equational Modelling.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and patterns of impacted third molars and their association with distal caries incidence in adjacent second molars: a CBCT-based study in a Saudi subpopulation.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Effect of Dental Fear on Delay in Seeking Dental Treatment Among Adults in a South Asian Setting.Cureus · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
objectiveThis study investigated the prevalence of treatment delays among preschoolers with dental caries, identified the associated influencing factors, and predicted the risk of delayed treatment. The findings of this study provide an evidence base for future interventions designed to reduce treatment delays in this population.
methodsA convenience sample of 264 preschool children with dental caries and their parents who visited the paediatric dental department between October 2023 and May 2024 was surveyed. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, a medical status questionnaire, the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale, the Modified Version Dental Anxiety Scale, the Short-Form Health Literacy Dental Scale, and the Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised for Dental. Influencing factors were analysed using univariate analysis and binary logistic regression, whereas the risk of occurrence was predicted using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.
resultsThe prevalence of delayed treatment among preschool children with dental caries was 71.21%, with an average delay of 117.5 days. Binary logistic regression analysis identified several independent factors significantly associated with delayed treatment (P < 0.05), including the primary caregiver, initial symptom recognition, children's dental fear, parental dental anxiety, and parental oral health literacy. Predictive analyses indicated that children's dental fear (AUC: 0.765, 95%CI: 0.707-0.823) and parental oral health literacy (AUC: 0.738, 95%CI: 0.673-0.802) demonstrated relatively high predictive values for delayed treatment.
conclusionEfforts to reduce delayed treatment should prioritise addressing children's dental fear and improving parental oral health literacy. Targeted and effective strategies in these areas may facilitate early prevention, diagnosis, and intervention, thereby minimising treatment delays, reducing disease burden, and promoting oral health among preschoolers.
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