Maternal Factors and Child's Dental Health

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim This study was carried out to investigate the effect of mother's age, education, occupation and income on the dental health behaviours and caries experience of her pre-school children in the District of Lahore, Pakistan. Methods This questionnaire based cross-sectional study evaluated the dental health status and oral health behaviors of 600 children in relation to the mother's age, education, family income and her domicile of residence. Chi square test was used to see the association between the different variables. The level of significance was taken as p<0.05. Result Tooth cleaning behaviors were found to be associated with all the maternal factors under study. Sugary food consumption was associated with mother's level of education and her family income while dental decay positively correlated with her residence and family income. Conclusion Younger age of the mother, high level of educational attainment, higher income and urban residence, all have a positive influence on the dental health practices of her pre-school children. Key Points 1. Dental health practices of the pre-school children are greatly influenced by the maternal characteristics. 2. Dental decay status of pre-school children is independent of the mother's education, income and residence. 3. Dental decay status of the pre-school children is low in Lahore, Pakistan.