Relationship between social network and social support with early childhood caries

Abstract

Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between social network and social support with early childhood caries in preschool children. Methods: A transversal study with 100 children aging at most 5 years and 11 months was performed. The children underwent a clinical dental evaluation and their parents answered a structured questionnaire. Results: Dental caries was associated with time of bottle feeding (p=0.031) (RP=5.203) and number of dental appointment (p=0,010) (RP=6,293). Moreover, dental caries was also directly associated with the number of siblings living together in the same house (p=0.002) (r=0.372), while inverse correlation was found between dental caries and social support (p=0.028) (r= - 0.219). Conclusion: Preschool children whose supervisors had a better social support presented superior oral health, suggesting that social support from caregivers is associated with improved pediatric oral health.

Estudos Multidisciplinares Sobre Saúde Da Criança E Do Adolescente

“…Uma das doenças mais prevalentes na infância é a cárie dentária, caracterizada pelo comprometimento de um ou mais dentes decíduos, restaurados ou perdidos devido a sua virulência e potencial de destruição dos tecidos dentários. De acordo com a Academia Americana de Odontopediatria (AAPD) embora a cárie dentária tenha diminuído em todo o mundo, ela continua sendo ainda uma preocupação presente na fase pré-escolar e escolar (FIRMEZA et al, 2022).…”