Abstract
Objectives: Oral conditions are of high prevalence and chronic character within the general population. Identifying the risk factors and determinants of oral disease is important, not only to reduce the burden of oral diseases, but also to improve (equal access to) oral health care systems, and to develop effective oral health promotion programs. Longitudinal population-based (birth-)cohort studies are very suitable to study risk factors on common oral diseases and have the potential to emphasize the importance of a healthy start for oral health. In this paper, we provide an overview of the comprehensive oral and craniofacial dataset that has been collected in the Generation R study: a population-based prospective birth cohort in the Netherlands that was designed to identify causes of health from fetal life until adulthood. Methods: Within the multidisciplinary context of the Generation R study, oral and craniofacial data has been collected from the age of 3 years onwards, and continued at the age of six, nine, and thirteen. Data collection is continuing in 17-year-old participants. Research outcomes: In total, the cohort population comprised 9749 children at birth, and 7405 eligible participants at the age of seventeen. Based on questionnaires, the dataset contains information on oral hygiene, dental visits, oral habits, oral health–related quality of life, orthodontic treatment, and obstructive sleep apnea. Based on direct measurements, the dataset contains information on dental caries, developmental defects of enamel, objective orthodontic treatment need, dental development, craniofacial characteristics, mandibular cortical thickness, and 3D facial measurements. Conclusions: Several research lines have been set up using the oral and craniofacial data linked with the extensive data collection that exists within the Generation R study. Clinical relevance: Being embedded in a multidisciplinary and longitudinal birth cohort study allows researchers to study several determinants of oral and craniofacial health, and to provide answers and insight into unknown etiologies and oral health problems in the general population.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3379-3392 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Clinical Oral Investigations |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 10 Jun 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by financial support from the Erasmus Medical Centre, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport, the Ministry of Youth and Families, and the European Research Council. The dental caries assessment of the study was financially supported by an unrestricted grant from GABA International, Therwil, Switzerland.
Funding Information:
The Generation R study is being conducted by the Erasmus Medical Centre in close collaboration with the School of Law and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam; the Municipal Health Service, Rotterdam area; the Rotterdam Homecare Foundation; and the Stichting Trombosedienst en Artsenlaboratorium Rijnmond, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the general practitioners, hospitals, midwives, and pharmacies in Rotterdam.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).