Impact of oral health problems on school absenteeism in public schoolchildren: A structural equation model

Purpose: Determine the prevalence and factors associated with school absenteeism due to oral health problems in schoolchildren aged 8 to 10 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with children randomly selected from public schools in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. School absenteeism was collected through a question based on the Child Perception Questionnaire 8–10 years answered by the children. Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, family income, and caregivers' educational level) and history of toothache. During clinical examinations, data were collected on untreated dental caries, PUFA index, and dental trauma. The pathways between school absenteeism and the independent variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. A 5% significance level was considered. Results: In total, 1,482 children participated in the study. The prevalence of school absenteeism was 22.1%. School absenteeism was directly affected by the presence of toothache (CP: 0.186, P<0.01). The PUFA index (via toothache), dental caries (via PUFA), sex (via toothache), and age (via PUFA) had indirect effects on school absenteeism. Conclusion: It was concluded that school absenteeism is directly influenced by the presence of toothache in schoolchildren.