Poor Dental Health, Poor Grades in School

What connection can possibly be made between healthy teeth and good grades? This may seem an odd coupling, but researchers are pointing to findings that suggest poor oral health is directly linked to poor performance in the classroom. This comes after a study involving approximately fifteen hundred students from economically disadvantaged families.

In the study, researchers made an effort to track educational performance as well as dental health reports for each student. Knowing already, via previous reports, that seventy-three percent of
students falling into this socioeconomic group had dental caries, there were suspicions that a large percentage would contend with resulting cavities.

However, it was also found that the students that did face oral health issues were much more likely to suffer in the classroom. It was discovered that they were four times more likely to fall below the median GPA.

The connection makes more sense when one considers the fact that poor oral health was linked to an increased number of school absences as well. On average, those students in the study who suffered with oral health problems missed more than two days as a result of the dental complications. In addition, parents were forced to miss more days at work to deal with the problems as well.

Researchers feel strongly, therefore, that school-based dental programs are essential, particularly for students from these less-advantaged backgrounds. It is felt that poor oral health has an outstanding effect on many areas of life and must be taken more seriously by schools, parents, and society as a whole.

For more information on the study and its findings, keep reading the full article