Context and objective As elsewhere, disadvantaged children in Senegal are those most affected by dental diseases and difficulties in obtaining dental care. Studies conducted mainly in developed countries suggest that a low level of mothers' OHL is correlated with poor oral health of their children. The objective of this study is to estimate the level of mothers' OHL in Senegal and its relationto the dental health of their children. Methods This cross-sectional epidemiological survey took place among 315 children aged from 3 to 9 years old and their mothers. It estimated the children's dental health status by clinical examination which used a disposable examination kit and a headlamp, took place at the child's home, in the mother's presence. Examiners interviewing the mothers administered the Oral Health Literacy-Adult Questionnaire to determine their OHL and questioned them further about their social characteristics and their children's dental health behaviour. Logistic regression and correlations were used for the statistical analysis. Results The OHL score ranges from 0 to 17; mothers' mean score was 6.5 (±3.1) and 56.5% had a low score (below the median). The prevalence of dental caries in children was 64.8%. Mothers' high OHL is associated with children caries free and low prevalence of dental caries. The logistic regression showed a significantly protective relation between children's dental caries and mothers' high OHL scores (mean score 12-17) (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29-0.88), high educational level (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23-0.76) and a high level of social contact (OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15-0.63). The structural analysis showed that OHL was significantly correlated with both the mothers' social position (r = 0.61 and P<0.001) and the children's caries (r =-0.26 and P<0.001).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.