Oral health and self-perceived job readiness among socially disadvantaged and unemployed citizens
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/aos.v83.42077Keywords:
Unemployment, dental care, vulnerable populations, self-assessment, oral health-related quality of life, return to workAbstract
Objective: The aims of this article are (1) to evaluate the association between oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and self-perceived job readiness and (2) to investigate changes in self-perceived job readiness following an oral health promotion intervention.
Materials and methods: The first aim was elucidated in a cross-sectional design, and the second through a prospective intervention study. A survey was administered among 273 unemployed vulnerable people in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants were randomised to either control or intervention in 2018, and follow-up was conducted 7–15 months later. The intervention entailed support for dental care. OHRQoL was measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), and self-perceived job readiness was measured using the Employability Indicator Project (BIP) questionnaire.
Results: The sample reported a high mean OHIP-14 score at baseline (26.9, SD 15.6) and poor OHRQoL was significantly associated with low self-perceived job readiness (rs= -0.15, p = 0.02). The control group reported better job readiness at follow-up compared to the intervention group. However, the effect sizes were small in both groups and no clear pattern was observed.
Conclusions: The results indicate that OHRQoL is linked to self-perceived job readiness. However, the oral health promotion applied in this study did not lead to better self-perceived job readiness. Further research is needed on the effect of oral health promotion interventions on job readiness within socially vulnerable groups.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Anna Munk Sigsgaard, Steffen Altmann, Katrine Dannemand Jensen, Børge Hede, Esben Boeskov Øzhayat
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Acta Odontologica Scandinavica publishes original research papers as well as critical reviews relevant to the diagnosis, epidemiology, health service, prevention, aetiology, pathogenesis, pathology, physiology, microbiology, development and treatment of diseases affecting tissues of the oral cavity and associated structures including papers on cause and effect or explanatory/associative relationships for experimental or observational studies.
