Bedtime Oral Hygiene Behaviours, Dietary Habits and Children’s Dental Health

Abstract

Background: Oral hygiene behaviours as well as dietary habits before bed can affect children’s dental health resulting in higher prevalence of dental disease. Dental disease can affect children’s health, development and even school performance. If left untreated, dental disease can progress and it can lead to extractions under general anaesthetic causing further distress for children and families. Consistent and appropriate oral hygiene behaviours and dietary habits can prevent dental diseases from occurring in the first place. Objective: This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between oral hygiene behaviours, dietary habits around bedtime and children’s dental health. Methods: A total of 185 parents with children between the ages of 3 and 7 years from deprived areas participated in the study. Data on bedtime routine activities were collected using an automated text-survey system. Children’s dental health status was established through examination of dental charts and dmft (decayed, missed, filled teeth) scores. Results: In total, 52.4% of parents reported that their children’s teeth were brushed every night. The majority of children (58.9%) had dmft scores over zero. In total, 51 (46.7% of children with dmft score over 0 and 27.5% of all children) children had active decay. The mean dmft score for those experiencing decay was 2.96 (SD = 2.22) with an overall mean dmft score of 1.75 (SD = 2.24). There were significant correlations between frequency of tooth brushing, frequency of snacks/drinks before bed and dmft scores (r = −0.584, p < 0.001 and r = 0.547, p = 0.001 respectively). Finally, higher brushing frequency was associated with a lower likelihood of a dmft score greater than 0 (Exp(B) = 0.9). Conclusions: Despite families implementing oral hygiene behaviours as part of their bedtime routines those behaviours varied in their consistency. Results of this study highlight the need for additional studies that consider bedtime routine-related activities and especially the combined effects of oral hygiene practices and dietary habits due to their potentially important relationship with children’s dental health.

Associations among internet addiction, lifestyle behaviors, and dental caries among high school students in Southwest Japan

“…Our study results indicate that IA is a barrier to maintaining good oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene accelerates dental plaque accumulation and bacterial activity in dental plaque 11 – 13 , which results in dental caries development and progression. Overall, one potential reason for the higher prevalence of dental caries among the study participants who suffered from IA was the loss of dental plaque control, which was associated with unhealthy lifestyle behavior.…”

“…First, the ULBI used in this study did not include all possible lifestyle factors. Although each factor has been studied in terms of its association with dental caries and/or IA 5 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 21 , other factors, such as tooth brushing duration and smoking 5 , are also possibly associated with disease risk. Second, the IAT and ULBI were based on self-reports and therefore were subject to recall bias and misclassification.…”

Oral hygiene practices, dental experiences and dietary habits in school going children

“…27,28 In our study male children were more than female (70% versus 30%) which is consistent with the study of Al-Hussyeen and Al-Sadhan, Okemwa et al and Kitsaras et al where 61.7%, 55.1% and 56.8%, respectively were male while in a study done by Dogan et al half of the students were male. 20,[27][28][29] In a study done by Jürgensen et al 52.8% children were females. 30 Most families in our study had 2 children (52%) and 20% had only 1 child.…”

“…This is in contrast with results of Kitsaras et al where most of the families had only 1 child (65%). 29 As we all are aware that brushing eliminates bacterial plaque and therefore contributes to preventing decay, gingivitis and periodontitis. It is therefore important for children to know the association between tooth brushing and dental diseases.…”

Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of dentin hypersensitivity

“…People who struggle with teeth may choose to brush their teeth gently or opt for toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth. 17,18 These adjustments, in behavior are aimed at minimizing the impact of triggers on their condition. Dentin hypersensitivity is characterized by signs and symptoms such as temporary pain caused by external factors like temperature changes, sweet or acidic substances and mechanical stimuli.…”