METHODS: Data from the 1970 British Cohort Study involving participants born in England, Scotland, and Wales were used. Self-rated oral health was assessed at age 46. Childhood dental attendance patterns, derived from follow-up surveys at ages 5, 10, and 16, were classified as 'always', 'sometimes', or 'never' regular. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the effect of childhood dental attendance on adult oral health. Subgroup analyses by education level and oral hygiene practices examined potential variations across these factors.

RESULTS: This study analyzed data from 4699 participants. An association was found between childhood dental attendance pattern and self-rated oral health in middle adulthood. The odds of reporting poor oral health were higher among those with 'sometimes' and 'never' regular dental attendance patterns than 'always' regular attenders. However, this association became insignificant after adjusting for covariates. Subgroup analyses revealed that 'sometimes' and 'never' regular attendance patterns were associated with higher odds of reporting poor oral health among participants who brushed less than twice daily and those with lower parental academic qualifications.

METHODS: This study used data from 6524 participants of the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study, an ongoing population-based birth cohort of individuals born in England, Scotland and Wales. Participants' socioeconomic position was indicated by occupational social class at age 26 and 46 years (the first and latest adult waves, respectively). Self-rated oral health was measured at age 46 years. The association between social mobility and adult oral health was assessed using conventional regression models and diagonal reference models, adjusting for gender, ethnicity, country of residence and residence area.

RESULTS: Over a fifth of participants (22.2%) reported poor self-rated oral health at age 46 years. In conventional regression analysis, the odds ratios for social mobility varied depending on whether they were adjusted for social class of origin or destination. In addition, all social trajectories had greater odds of reporting poor oral health than non-mobile adults in class I/II. In diagonal reference models, both upward (Odds Ratio 0.79; 95% CI 0.63-0.99) and downward mobility (0.90; 95% CI 0.71-1.13) were inversely associated with poor self-rated oral health. The origin weight was 0.48 (95% CI 0.33-0.63), suggesting that social class of origin was as important as social class of destination.

METHODS: Five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL) were searched up to March 2023. Results were screened based on eligibility criteria in a two-stage process: title and abstract, and full-text review. A backward search of reference lists and a forward search of citations of the included papers was also conducted. The quality of the included papers was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Key study information was extracted and a narrative synthesis of the findings was performed.

RESULTS: Eleven papers from five longitudinal studies in five countries (Australia, Brazil, China, New Zealand, Sweden) met the inclusion criteria. Studies of moderate to high quality consistently reported that regular dental attendance was associated with having less dental caries experience, fewer missing teeth and better oral health-related quality of life. Inconsistent findings were observed for decayed teeth, and no association was found for periodontal condition.

CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights an association between regular dental visiting pattern and improved oral health, notably less dental caries experience and better oral health-related quality of life. Dental attendance emerges as an important predictor of oral health across the life course, underscoring the importance of routine dental care.