article · European Annals of Dental Sciences
An assessment of 620 primary school children across nine schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examined the prevalence of malocclusion and patterns of dental service utilisation. Most participants were female and aged between 11 and 12 years. The analysis revealed that 66.5% of the children presented with malocclusion traits, while 23.1% had never visited a dental clinic. Parental education emerged as a key factor influencing both dental health and access to care. Children whose fathers had completed primary education faced a 25% higher risk of malocclusion. Additionally, children whose mothers had lower educational attainment experienced a 34% reduction in the likelihood of attending a dental clinic. These findings highlight a considerable burden of malocclusion alongside social disparities affecting oral healthcare uptake.
Proper alignment of teeth and access to dental care are vital for oral health and overall quality of life in young people. By showing how parental education levels correlate with both the prevalence of malocclusion and clinic attendance, this work helps health authorities design targeted public health programmes and educational outreach to improve healthcare access in underserved communities.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway, as it focuses on epidemiological analysis rather than a product or clinical intervention. The findings may, however, inform public health planners and dental care providers designing targeted screening services or community-level oral health programmes. Any real-world implementation relies on public policy action rather than commercial technology transfer.
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Purpose: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with malocclusion and dental services utilization among primary school children in Dar es Salaam. Materials and methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using R software version 4.3.3 to analyze data of students from nine schools in Dar es Salaam region, Tanzania. Information on demographics, dental clinic visits, and malocclusion traits were abstracted. Descriptive measures - frequency and proportion were used to summarize the categorical variables and the log-binomial regression to assess the association between independent variables and the two binary outcomes – malocclusion and attending dental clinic, at a significance level of p less than 0.05. Results: A total of 620 school children were enrolled: 63.2% were female and 60.6% were aged 11 to 12 years. Two-thirds of the population (66.5%) had malocclusion and less than a quarter (23.1%) never attended a dental clinic. Children whose fathers had primary education had 25% increased risk for malocclusion, whereas those of less educated mothers had 34% (95% CI; 0.47-0.93) decreased chances of attending dental clinics. Conclusion:The burden of malocclusion and associated effects on oral health-related quality of life is high, demonstrating the need for targeted interventions. Socioeconomic empowerment and improving dental services are inevitable as they impact the oral health related quality of life.
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DOI: 10.52037/eads.2025.0024
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