Dental Health Status and Oral Health Care in Nursery School-Aged Children and their Parents Living in Poznan (Poland)

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental health status of nursery age children and parents. The use of dental services was assessed. Subjects and Methods: The study was performed in nursery schools located in Poznan, Western Poland. Clinical examination was carried out in 157 children (48.41% males and 51.59% females), aged 10–42 months. Dental health status (the number of teeth with caries, fillings and extracted) of their parents was determined on the basis of data obtained from a questionnaire. The questions also concerned information on child’s and parents’ dental check-ups and opinion on their predisposition to dental caries. Results: Clinical examination revealed that 21.05% of boys and 18.51% of girls had dental caries. Most mothers had from 1 to 5 either carious and/or filled teeth (47.13%) or extracted teeth due to carious process (61.15%); the fathers’ values were similar at 46.50 and 66.24%, respectively. More mothers (84.71%) than fathers (72.62%) had regular dental check-ups (p = 0.02). The analysis of mother-father-child triads showed that when both parents visited the dentist regularly, more children were free of caries (56.68%) in comparison to those with the disease (13.38%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed that the dental health status, as well as oral care of nursery school children and their parents, is unsatisfactory. Therefore, there is a need to introduce an intensive dental educational program focusing on dental prophylaxis for nursery age children and their parents or caregivers.

Clinical Consequences of Dental Caries, Parents’ Perception of Child’s Oral Health and Attitudes towards Dental Visits in a Population of 7-Year-Old Children

“…Dental caries (decay) is a multifactorial chronic disease that poses a very serious global health problem since it involves most of the population [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Numerous environmental and individual risk factors are responsible for this disorder’s occurrence and development.…”

“…Numerous environmental and individual risk factors are responsible for this disorder’s occurrence and development. These components are related e.g., to the genetic factors, the transmission of germs between hosts, bacterial flora, flow rate and composition of saliva, hygienic and dietary habits, socioeconomic status, parental education, and oral health care availability [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Exploring the Relationships between Children’s Oral Health and Parents’ Oral Health Knowledge, Literacy, Behaviours and Adherence to Recommendations: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Earlier in this article we cited selected recommendations which should be communicated to parents and caregivers since their leading role as promoters of healthy behaviours in their children has been demonstrated in numerous studies [ 10 ]. It was suggested that healthcare professionals should educate parents on the importance of regular dental visits and home-based prevention to eliminate or reduce the influence of ECC risk factors and strengthen the protective ones [ 10 , 15 , 36 ]. Moreover, it was proposed that fluoride toothpaste manufacturers, public health institutions, and national societies should provide the public with clear oral hygiene visual instructions on toothpaste packaging and in toothbrushing manuals [ 17 ].…”

“…Our results confirmed similar earlier findings [ 10 ]. Other authors reported that frequent dental visits of the parent resulted in an almost 4-fold increase of the chances of similar practices in the child, while both parents visiting a dentist regularly were associated with an increased number of caries-free children [ 30 , 36 ]. The child’s chances of being caries-free were greater when parents self-assessed their oral health as good, whereas caries in child’s primary dentition was associated with parents’ oral health [ 10 ].…”

The influence of parents' oral health literacy and behavior on oral health of preschool children aged 3-6 years - Evidence from China

“…The complex association of parents' oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with children's oral health behavior and dental caries has been investigated to improve children's oral health. [3,13,14] Researchers have identified numerous factors associated with dental caries. [14] However, their direct or indirect effects on oral health outcomes remain unclear.…”