Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To determine the association between the perception of caregivers regarding the oral health of their children and socio-demographic characteristics, report of dental pain, and clinical oral conditions.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 570 children aged two to five years old, enrolled at public preschools, and with their caregivers. Data regarding perceptions of oral health status in children, socio-demographic characteristics, and dental pain were collected from a questionnaire. Three examiners (Kappa>0.7) evaluated children’s oral health status using the dmft index, pufa index, and the Andreasen classification for traumatic dental injury (TDI). The occurrence of open bite and overjet was also investigated. Descriptive analyses, and unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression were used, considering a 5% significance level.Results: A total of 24.7% of children had poor oral health status, which increased 4.92-fold (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 3.05-7.93) when children had dental caries, and 3.78-fold (95%CI 1.63-8.76) when there were consequences from dental caries. The perception of poor oral health was also associated to open bite (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.98; 95%CI 1.16-3.38) and TDI (OR 1.68; 95%CI 1.06-2.68). No associations were found between the perception of caregivers and socio-demographic variables or overjet.Conclusions: The perception of caregivers of poor oral health in their children was associated to dental caries, its consequences, TDI, and open bite.
Highlights
Many children are affected by oral problems, such as dental caries and their consequences, whose prevalence varies between 261 and 69%,2 dental traumatic injuries, with prevalence between 33.53 and 53.4%,4 and malocclusions, whose prevalence varies between 24.23 and 63.3%.5 These oral problems are related to a negative impact on the oral health and its related quality of life of children, which, affect children’s adequate growth and development.[1,2,3,4,5] understanding and perceiving the oral condition of these children is essential for taking actions to regarding their prevention and treatment
In the adjusted logistic regression model (Table 2), the perception of caregivers of poor oral health status in their children were related to dental pain, dental trauma, anterior open bite, dental caries experience, and the consequences from dental caries
The chance of a caregiver considering a child’s oral health to be poor was 3.30 times higher (95%CI 1.84–5.91; p
Summary
Many children are affected by oral problems, such as dental caries and their consequences, whose prevalence varies between 261 and 69%,2 dental traumatic injuries, with prevalence between 33.53 and 53.4%,4 and malocclusions, whose prevalence varies between 24.23 and 63.3%.5 These oral problems are related to a negative impact on the oral health and its related quality of life of children, which, affect children’s adequate growth and development.[1,2,3,4,5] understanding and perceiving the oral condition of these children is essential for taking actions to regarding their prevention and treatment. Many children are affected by oral problems, such as dental caries and their consequences, whose prevalence varies between 261 and 69%,2 dental traumatic injuries, with prevalence between 33.53 and 53.4%,4 and malocclusions, whose prevalence varies between 24.23 and 63.3%.5. These oral problems are related to a negative impact on the oral health and its related quality of life of children, which, affect children’s adequate growth and development.[1,2,3,4,5] understanding and perceiving the oral condition of these children is essential for taking actions to regarding their prevention and treatment. The null hypothesis is that there is no association between the perception of caregivers as to the oral health of their children and socio-demographic characteristics, reports of dental pain in children, and clinical oral conditions
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