Abstract
BackgroundParenting practices influence children’s health and development. The current study aimed at assessing gender differences in children’s perception of the parenting practices of both parents, and in the association between children’s oral health behaviors and parenting practices.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey of 6–12 year old children was conducted in a rural area in Northwestern Egypt in 2019. Clinical examination assessed caries and gingivitis. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire assessed parenting practices in five domains (positive parenting, involvement, inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring and corporal punishment) and the World Health Organization questionnaire assessed oral health behaviors including sugar consumption and daily toothbrushing. Sugar consumption was the dependent variable in linear regression and daily toothbrushing was the dependent variable in logistic regression. Parenting practices were the explanatory variables adjusting for confounders. Effect modification by child gender was assessed.ResultsThe response rate was 94.1% (n = 433), mean age = 9.9 years, 44.1% boys, 17.8% with daily toothbrushing and mean sugar consumption score = 3.4/8. Girls perceived more mothers’ positive parenting than boys (mean = 14.15 and 13.46) and boys perceived more poor monitoring and corporal punishment. Boys and girls differed in the association between sugar consumption and fathers’ inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring (P = 0.004 and 0.02) and mothers’ corporal punishment (P = 0.02), and also daily toothbrushing and mothers’ involvement, positive parenting (P = 0.05 and 0.02), fathers’ positive parenting (P = 0.02), mothers’ inconsistent discipling and poor monitoring (P = 0.01 and 0.04).ConclusionsThere were differences between boys and girls in perceiving mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices and in the association between these parenting practices and toothbrushing and sugar consumption.
Highlights
Oral health is directly affected by society and culture [1]
The associations between parenting practices and oral health behaviors vary by region and cultural context since parenting practices are affected by the prevailing societal norms
There was no significant difference between boys and girls in the perception of mother’s (P = 0.78) or father’s involvement (P = 0.06), father’s positive parenting (P = 0.29), and mother’s (P = 0.32) or father’s (P = 0.99) inconsistent disciplining
Summary
Oral health is directly affected by society and culture [1]. Social and cultural factors affect health literacy, access to and demand for care and feeding habits and all theseEl Tantawi et al BMC Oral Health (2022) 22:17 to influence children’s health and development [5]. Oral health is directly affected by society and culture [1]. The associations between parenting practices and oral health behaviors vary by region and cultural context since parenting practices are affected by the prevailing societal norms. Previous studies assessed the association between parenting and oral health behaviors [7,8,9,10]. Parenting practices influence children’s health and development. The current study aimed at assessing gender differences in children’s perception of the parenting practices of both parents, and in the association between children’s oral health behaviors and parenting practices
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