title: Childhood socioeconomic position, adult sense of coherence and tooth retention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the role of sense of coherence (SOC) as a mediator in the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and tooth retention in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 5401 dentate adults aged 30 and over who participated in the nationally representative Finnish Health 2000 Survey were analysed. Participants provided information on demographic characteristics (sex and age), childhood SEP (parental education), adulthood SEP (years of education and household income), the SOC scale and oral health-related behaviours (dental attendance, toothbrushing frequency, sugar intake frequency and daily smoking). They also had a clinical oral health examination. Structural equation modelling was used to test a model including adulthood SEP, SOC and oral health-related behaviours as mediators of the relationship between childhood SEP and tooth retention. Multigroup comparison was also conducted to test the hypothesized model within each sex and age group (<45 years, 45-59 years and 60+ years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relationship between childhood SEP and tooth retention in adulthood was to a large extent mediated by adulthood SEP and to a much lesser extent by SOC. There was only a weak association between childhood SEP and adult SOC, but favourable oral health-related behaviours appeared to link a strong SOC with greater tooth retention. The model was invariant across sexes and age groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SOC is associated with tooth retention through oral health-related behaviours, but contributes little to the relationship between childhood SEP and tooth retention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK. e.bernabe@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernabé
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.forename: Aubrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheiham
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Suominen
authors.forename: Miira M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Vehkalahti
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nordblad
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uutela
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivimäki
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsakos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D011581:Psychological Tests; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*