Maternal anxiety, social status, and dental caries formation in children: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective We sought to evaluate the association of maternal anxiety and social status with caries formation in children. Methods Participants comprised 258 pairs of children and their mothers. We collected information regarding age, sex, birth order of children, and mothers’ education and marital status using a questionnaire. The Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to determine maternal trait anxiety levels. The children underwent oral examination. Total values for decayed, missing, filled, and total permanent/primary teeth (DMFT/dmft) were evaluated according to standards of the World Health Organization. Results No significant relationship was found between the mother's anxiety level and DMFT/dmft scores in their children. A negative correlation was observed between the child’s age and dental caries in children. The sex of the child, mother's education level, and marital status of the mother showed a weak negative correlation with the number of dental caries observed in their children. Conclusion Although social, economic, and environmental factors might contribute substantially to the development of dental caries, we failed to demonstrate a clear relationship between maternal anxiety and social status and dental caries in children. We can therefore conclude that biological factors are decisive in the formation of dental caries among children.

Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy on Oral Health in Children

“…The findings of the present study were found to be in accordance with the findings of Yıldırım and Aktören [ 32 ], Mummalo et al [ 33 ], Alqutami et al [ 34 ], Weiler et al [ 35 ], and Koga-Ito et al [ 15 ]. Dental caries is a multifactorial disease, and various factors play a role in the formation and progression of dental caries such as biological factors, the presence of cariogenic microorganisms, dietary habits, oral hygiene practices, parental education, and socioeconomic status [ 36 ]. Thus, in this study, these factors were also investigated.…”

Is there an association between family structure and the oral health of socially vulnerable children?

“…Although dental caries has been mitigated by many preventive measures, this disease continues to be a significant threat to oral health, negatively affecting the individual's quality of life. [1][2][3] Nearly half of the world population suffers disability as a consequence of oral health conditions, which remain highly prevalent to this day. 4 According to the Global Burden of Disease 2010, cavitated lesions in permanent teeth were the most prevalent condition among 291 diseases affecting 2.5 billion people worldwide.…”

“…13,14 Furthermore, the parents' psychological status, behavior, and attitudes has been reported to affect their children's general and oral health status. 2 The family and the mother's behaviors affect the child's quality of life, general and oral health, and play a key role in determining the oral health status of children. 2,15,16 The association between the development of dental caries in children and the level of maternal education has been identified.…”

“…2 The family and the mother's behaviors affect the child's quality of life, general and oral health, and play a key role in determining the oral health status of children. 2,15,16 The association between the development of dental caries in children and the level of maternal education has been identified. 17,18 The marital status of parents has also been reported to affect the development of dental caries in children, 15,19 with the highest odds of children with mother "Never Married" presenting more carious lesions than mother "Married/Living partner" or "Widowed/Divorced".…”

Dentist Mothers’ Attitudes, Challenges and Facilitators in the Oral Health Promotion of Their Young Children

“…Therefore, primary prevention of ECC has importance because it is easier to prevent the formation of caries than perform treatment that generally needs extensive restorative and surgical treatments of primary teeth, which can be psychologically and financially challenging for children and their families [3,6,7]. Since infants and toddlers are unable to care for themselves and are dependent on their parents, parents, and especially mothers, are primarily responsible for sustaining the oral health of young children as primary caregivers [8][9][10].…”