Assessment of Parents’ Oral Health Literacy and Its Association with Caries Experience of Their Preschool Children

Abstract

(1) Purpose: To assess the oral health literacy (OHL) of parents and its association with the caries experience of their preschool children attending the Hospital University Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. (2) Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving a systematic random sampling method, using a sample of 230 parent/preschool child dyads. Among 230 parents, 24 were males and 206 were females (mean age 31.43 ± 5.82); among 230 children, 92 were boys and 138 were girls (mean age 4.82 ± 1.04) attending the pedodontics clinic, HUSM, who participated and met the inclusion criteria. A structured, self-administered oral health literacy questionnaire including sociodemographic factors was used in this study. A child’s oral examination was performed to check the dmft (decayed, missing, filled teeth) status. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive and Spearman’s correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. (3) Results: The mean dmft score of children in relation to the OHL level of parents showed a significant difference (p < 0.00). The mean dmft score of children in relation to the OHL level of parents showed the following relationships: Inadequate (7.49 ± 4.10) followed by marginal (3.28 ± 2.67) and then adequate (0.55 ± 1.55). The incidence of caries amongst children in relation to parental employment was more associated with unemployed parents (6.11 ± 4.43) than with employed parents (2.79 ± 3.65). The caries experience amongst children in relation to education of their parents revealed a significant difference (p < 0.001), and the mean dmft score was high amongst preschool children with primary school qualified parents (10.7 ± 4.10) followed by high school (7.04 ± 3.68), vocational (5.81 ± 3.57), diploma (2.61 ± 2.81), and university (1.29 ± 2.27), respectively. The results revealed a valid significant difference (negative correlation, rs = −0.753 **) between the OHL of parents with the dmft score of their preschool children. The age and gender of parents was not significantly associated with OHL, whereas ethnicity (positive correlation, rs = 0.283 **), education (positive correlation, rs = 0.865 **), and employment (negative correlation, rs = −0.490 **) were found to be significant. Conclusion: We conclude that there is a significant association between the OHL of parents with the dmft score of their preschool children. The logistic regression showed that after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, parents’ gender (OR = 0.067, 95% CI: 0.012–0.360), parents’ employment status (OR = 3.247, 95% CI: 0.897–11.754), parents’ OHL score (OR = 0.042, 95% CI: 0.016–0.114), and child age (OR = 2.195, 95% CI: 1.249–3.857) were significantly associated with dental caries in children. Our study concluded that parents’ employment status, age, gender, OHL, and child’s age were significantly associated with the caries experience of their preschool children.

Association between Insufficient Sleep and Dental Caries among Preschoolers in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Multicentre Study

“…Three previous studies have suggested that unhealthy lifestyle habits of parents, such as intake of sugary foods or drinks before going to bed or lack of oral hygiene practices, are likely to increase the likelihood of dental caries in children [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Low parental oral HL has been shown to play a significant role in preschool children’s experiences with caries [ 10 ]. Furthermore, Shantinath SD et al demonstrated that nightly feeding is a significant risk factor for early childhood caries [ 20 ].…”

“…Parents play an important role in controlling the circadian rhythms and lifestyles of their children and there is a strong association between the oral hygiene behaviour of parents and the oral health-related habits of their children [ 10 ]. Nevertheless, the relationship between dental caries in children and parental sleep status is not clear.…”

Parental Influences on Children’s Oral Health Behaviors, Reading Behaviors, and Reading Attitudes Associated with the Sharing of a Digital Story from the eBook for Oral Health Literacy© Curriculum

“…Future research will need to increase the participation of fathers in oral health literacy research, because the influence of female parent figures may differ from the influence that male parents have on their children's oral health hygiene and their children's reading behaviors. Oral health research has frequently demonstrated the importance of maternal influences on oral health hygiene (Shearer, Thomson, Broadbent, & Poulton, 2011;Lee, Kim, Lee, & Kim, 2018;Adil, Eusufzai, Kamruddin, Ahmad, Jamayet, Karobari, & Alam, 2020).…”

“…No fillings were reported by 86 parents (27%). Research on the oral health literacy of parents in multiple countries has been significantly correlated with the mean DMFT score of their children (Adil, Eusufzai, Kamruddin, Ahmad, Jamayet, Karobari, & Alam, 2020). The lower the parental oral health literacy, the higher the prevalence of caries in their children.…”

Eficácia da teleorientação na higiene bucal de crianças durante a pandemia por COVID-19: estudo clínico randomizado

“…O fortalecimento do conhecimento e das competências dos pais e cuidadores em saúde pode contribuir para a melhoria dos resultados da criança em saúde bucal. (Adil et al, 2020).…”