Analysis of delayed medical treatment and influencing factors in children with early childhood caries

WANG Meng-meng; DONG Rui; WANG Dong; LIU Xin; ZHANG Yu; ZHANG Hui-jun

doi:10.15956/j.cnki.chin.j.conserv.dent.2025.05.004

Abstract：AIM:To explore the influencing factors of medical treatment delay among children with early childhood caries,and to analyze their correlation,so as to provide a reference for further improving the behavior of medical treatment delay.METHODS:From June 2023 to December 2023,children with early childhood caries who were treated for the first time in the Department of Stomatology of a military tertiary hospital were selected as the research objects.Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors and protective factors of delayed medical treatment.Spearman correlation coefficient and structural equation model were used to analyze the correlation among the variables.RESULTS:A total of 300 cases were included in the study,of which 247 cases(82.33%)had delayed medical treatment.The results of the multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that Children's quality of life evaluation(OR=3.249,95%CI=1.237-8.537,P=0.017),parental care(OR=1.707,95%CI=1.242-2.347,P=0.001),family influence(OR=0.378,95%CI=0.220-0.649,P=0.001),and disease perception disorders(OR=1.066,95%CI=1.016-1.119,P=0.009)were the influencing factors of delayed medical behavior in young children with dental caries.Oral health care awareness as a latent variable was measured by the explicit variables regular oral check-ups,daily brushing before bedtime,and illness perception impairment.The status of social support was measured by the explicit variables of parental care and family influence,and the statistical results of whether children had medical delay behavior were used as the measurement variable of medical delay tendency.In this structural equation model,oral health care awareness and social support can directly affect children's medical delay behavior,and can also affect children's medical delay behavior through the mediating variable oral health status.CONCLUSION:The incidence of medical delay behavior in young children with caries is 82.33%.Children's quality of life evaluation,parental care and family influence,and disease perception disorders are the main influencing factors of medical delay behavior in children.Oral health education and publicity should be further strengthened to improve the utilization and recognition of community hospitals,so as to reduce the incidence of medical delay behavior.