Determinants of dental absenteeism among young children in California: A logistic regression analysis of CHIS 2017–2022

Background Annually, hundreds of thousands of children miss school due to dental issues. While prior scholarship has shown that missed days due to dental issues relate to substantial losses of learning time and district-level educational funding, few studies have explored predictors of this outcome. It remains unclear whether certain groups of children or school districts disproportionately bear the burden of dental absenteeism. Methods We leverage data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) from 2017–2022 to construct a complete-case sample of n = 8,470 California children (aged 5–11). We first conduct χ² tests with Bonferroni adjustments to assess which characteristics are associated with missed school days due to dental issues. We then estimate four logistic regression models that successively adding demographic, insurance coverage, dental health access, and general health variables. Finally, we calculate and visualize estimated probabilities based on youth characteristics. Results In χ² tests, significant predictors included being in a household with unmarried caregivers, general health status, and being unable to afford needed dental care in the last year. In logistic regression models, characteristics that significantly predicted higher odds were: being 7–8 years old (relative to 5–6), being Hispanic or White (relative to Asian), living in a household with unmarried caregivers, and being unable to afford needed dental care in the last year. Being in very good general or excellent general health (relative to fair/poor general health) significantly predicted lower odds. Conclusions Even after adjusting for insurance coverage and income, financial barriers remain major drivers of missed school days due to dental issues among young school children in California. Policymakers should address these barriers to improve dental care access and promote health and educational equity.