Influence of Family Structure on Dental Caries Experience of Preschool Children in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of dental caries in preschool children has not been declining in the recent past. A growing body of research suggests that social and behavioural factors may play a considerable role in the aetiology of dental caries. Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the family structure and dental caries experience in preschool children. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in children aged 3–5 years in Wattala Divisional Secretariat area in Colombo district of Sri Lanka. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from the parents on family structure including the size, birth rank, age spacing between the next oldest and youngest sibling and age of parent at birth of the subject. The dental caries status of the children was assessed using WHO standard criteria for primary teeth. Results: Family size, birth rank, age difference between the subject and next oldest sibling and parent’s age at birth of the subject were significantly associated with the dental caries experience of the preschool children at bivariate level. In a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis family size, birth rank and the parent’s age at birth of the child remained statistically significant. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that family structure might significantly affect the caries experience of preschool children.

Association between developmental defects of enamel and early childhood caries: a cross‐sectional study

“…In the present study, place of residence, mother's schooling and household income were used as socioeconomic indicators and categorised based on the characteristics of the population studied. Other studies have used variables such as family size and the number of siblings or different ways of categorising variables such as mother's schooling.…”

“…The high prevalence rate of ECC is influenced by socio‐demographic factors and oral hygiene practices. Studies have demonstrated that a low level of education on the part of parents/guardians, insufficient knowledge on oral health, a low income and unsatisfactory oral hygiene exert a considerable influence on dental caries experience.…”

Socioeconomic and family influences on dental treatment needs among Brazilian underprivileged schoolchildren participating in a dental health program

“…Studies have shown that household overcrowding had an inverse relationship with healthy habits of nutrition and hygiene, oral health-related quality of life, and were predictors of traumatic dental injuries in children and adolescents [2,37-39]. Thus, overcrowding may have both direct and indirect effects on the general and oral health of the members of families, and poorer schoolchildren living in homes with fewer individuals was a protective factor for curative dental needs.…”

Birth order is associated with caries development in young children: a register-based cohort study

“…The few studies in this area are small, and the subgroups of birth order vary. Although risk of dental caries in later-born children compared to first-born children has been found to be higher [9,10], conflicting results have also been reported [11,12].…”