Structural analysis of socioeconomic factors and school jet lag in traumatic dental injury among children

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the directions by which school jet lag is associated with traumatic dental injury in children, evaluating direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic factors and sleep. A representative, population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 schoolchildren eight to ten years of age. Parents/guardians answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and the Circadian Energy Scale. Four examiners underwent training and calibration exercises for the diagnosis of traumatic dental injury (K > 0.80) using the criteria proposed by Andreasen (2007). Descriptive analysis was followed by structural equation modeling to determine direct and indirect associations between the variables incorporated into the theoretical model. School jet lag [standardized coefficient (SC): -0.238, 95%CI: -0.390–0.087], income (SC: -0.151, 95%CI: 0.0010–0.292), and number of residents in the home (SC: -0.109, 95%CI: -0.212–0.007) were directly associated with traumatic dental injury, whereas sleep disturbances and schooling of the parents/guardians exerted an indirect effect. Sociodemographic factors and school jet lag were associated with traumatic dental injury in children eight to ten years of age.