Individual, familial and country-level factors associated with oral hygiene practices in children: an international survey

Abstract

Background Maintaining good oral hygiene is key to preventing dental caries and periodontal disease. Children and adolescents with good oral hygiene behaviours are likely to grow into adults with the same behaviours. This study assessed the frequency of using various oral hygiene methods among children and adolescents from different countries and individual, familial and country-level factors associated with the use of these methods. Methods A multi-country online survey collected data from caregivers of children in 2020–21 about children’s use of oral hygiene methods including toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss and miswak using self-administered, close-ended questions. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between each of the five oral hygiene methods (dependent variables) and the independent factors: sex, age, and history of dental visits (individual factors), mother's education and area of residence (familial factors) as well as country income and region (country-level factors). Results A total of 4766 parents/caregivers were included from 20 countries (77.4% Eastern Mediterranean-region and 41.6% lower middle income countries). The most frequent oral hygiene methods were using toothbrush and toothpaste (90% and 60.3%). The use of oral hygiene methods differed by age, sex and history of dental visits as well as mother’s education and area of residence (P < 0.05). In addition, children from low income countries had significantly lower odds of using mouthwashes and dental floss than those from high income countries (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.31, 0.98 and AOR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12, 0.97) whereas children from the European region had higher odds of using mouthwash (AOR = 2.82, 95% CI 1.27, 6.26) and those from the region of the Americas had higher odds of using dental floss (AOR = 3.84, 95% CI 1.28, 11.52) than those from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Conclusions The use of various oral hygiene methods is associated with individual, familial and country-level factors. Oral health promotion programs should be developed taking into account these influences.

Oral Health of Rural Cameroonian Children: A Pilot Study in Bamendou

“…The presence of disabilities or congenital deformities could also entail additional difficulties to achieve an appropriate level of oral health [ 24 ]. Furthermore, a paramount issue is the prevalent limited parental health awareness, which is highly associated with socioeconomic level and cultural context [ 25 , 26 ]. An insufficient concentration of fluorides in drinking water in some places must not be overlooked either [ 27 ].…”

“…Contrasted differences in children and/or teenagers caries prevalence rates have been observed in similar age categories between and even within countries [ 10 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 25 ]. Besides potential study methodological issues, such differences could also reflect the marked diversity of the investigated populations.…”

“…For instance, in the review reported by Uribe et al, caries prevalence in pre-school children ranged from 18% to 75% between the 14 studies conducted in different regions of Brazil. The uneven distribution of dental facilities across the country, along with local particularities in cultural, socioeconomic, and/or health-awareness factors could explain these contrasted findings [ 22 , 25 ]. These various factors can also explain potential differences observed in different developing countries regarding children’s dental caries prevalence rate [ 20 ].…”

“…Indeed, a sustained intervention is critical to ensure a perennial benefit of educative action. Given their influence on children’s behavior [ 10 , 25 ], involving parents and even teachers in such educative programs is strongly advocated for a more effective implementation of the promoted oral behavior [ 31 ]. In parallel, any potential gaps in the access to oral hygiene products or clinical dental care should be filled wherever needed [ 32 ].…”

The Effect of Red Ginger Essential Oil on Adherence of Streptococcus mutans

“…1,[11][12][13][14][15] Caries prevention measures to date are carried out with the administration of effective ingredients such as fluoride. 1,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Excessive use of fluoride has side effects of fluorosis. 1,13 Herbal medicines today are developed and receive greater attention because they have many properties, are safer to cure diseases, and are well tolerated.…”