Table 3.
Causal Mediation Analysis for the Mediating Effect of Any Dental Use in the Association between EHS Enrollment on Any Impact to Follow-up OHRQoLa (N = 1,156).
| Estimate (95% CI) | |
|---|---|
| Total effectb | −0.075* (−0.139, −0.012) |
| Indirect effectc (average across EHS and non-EHS groups) | 0.020* (0.003, 0.039) |
| Non-EHS | 0.020* (0.003, 0.041) |
| EHS | 0.019* (0.002, 0.037) |
| Direct effectd (average across EHS and non-EHS groups) | −0.095** (−0.158, −0.032) |
| Non-EHS | −0.094** (−0.156, −0.032) |
| EHS | −0.096** (−0.159, −0.032) |
The model included random effects for each of the 25 Early Head Start program clusters and adjusted for survey language, baseline oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL), and the propensity score covariates. CI, confidence interval; EHS, Early Head Start.
OHRQoL was measured using the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), which is a 0 to 52 continuous variable with a higher score indicating worse OHRQoL and a score of 0 indicating no negative impact to OHRQoL. Therefore, any negative impact to OHRQoL is an ECOHIS score ≥1.
The total effect is the sum of the indirect effect and the direct effect.
The indirect effect is the effect of the treatment (EHS) on the outcome (follow-up OHRQoL) through the mediating variable (any dental use).
The direct effect is the effect of the treatment (EHS) on the outcome (follow-up OHRQoL) while holding the mediator (any dental use) constant at the level that would be realized under 1 fixed treatment status (EHS or non-EHS).
P < 0.05. **P < 0.01.