Association of Maternal Factors on Early Childhood Caries: A Case–Control Study

Abstract

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) can have a substantial impact on the child’s quality of life. Postnatal maternal practices and care of the child are potential risk factors for ECC. Only a small number of cohort studies have looked at potential dietary risk factors at this age. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal caries status and child caries status along with its relationship with the postnatal factors in the development of ECC. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed amongst 300 mother–child pairs. Participants were randomly selected into two groups according to the caries status: Group A – children with ECC and Group B – children without caries. Caries status of the mother and child was recorded. A close-ended questionnaire was given to the mothers to know their knowledge and practices about child oral healthcare. Data obtained were analysed using IBM SPSS version 20.0. The level of significance adopted was 5%. Results: The mean decay rank is lowest for children <36 months of age (141.72) and is highest for children between 49 and 60 months (178.21). The children of working mothers are more affected by ECC when compared to children of non-working mothers (P < 0.05). There is a significant association between mother’s dental caries status and child’s dental caries status (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The present study showed that there is a clear relationship between ECC in children and maternal caries status and feeding patterns, especially night feeding.