International comparisons of health inequalities in childhood dental caries

Cynthia M. Pine, Pauline M. Adair, Alison D. Nicoll, Girvan Burnside, Poul Erik Petersen, David Beighton, Angela Gillett, Ruth Anderson, Shahid Anwar, Susan Brailsford, Zdenek Broukal, Ivor G. Chestnutt, Dominique Declerck, Feng Xi Ping, Roberto Ferro, Ruth Freeman, Tshepo Gugushe, Rebecca Harris, Brent Lin, Edward C.M. LoGerardo Maupomé, Mohamed Hanif Moola, Sudeshni Naidoo, Francisco Ramos-Gomez, Lakshman P. Samaranayake, Swarngit Shahid, Marit Slåttelid Skeie, Christian Splieth, Betty King Sutton, Teo Choo Soo, Helen Whelton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

107 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To undertake formative studies investigating how the experience of dental caries in young children living in diverse settings relates to familial and cultural perceptions and beliefs, oral health-related behaviour and oral microflora. Participants The scientific consortium came from 27 sites in 17 countries, each site followed a common protocol. Each aimed to recruit 100 families with children aged 3 or 4 years, half from deprived backgrounds, and within deprived and non-deprived groups, half to be "caries-free" and half to have at least 3 decayed teeth. Outcome measures: Parents completed a questionnaire, developed using psychological models, on their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours related to their child's oral health. 10% of children had plaque sampled. Results: 2,822 children and families were recruited. In multivariate analyses, reported toothbrushing behaviours that doubled the odds of being caries-free were a combination of brushing before age 1, brushing twice a day and adult involvement in brushing. Analyses combining beliefs, attitudes and behaviours found that parents' perceived ability to implement regular toothbrushing into their child's daily routine was the most important predictor of whether children had caries and this factor persisted in children from disadvantaged communities. 90% of children with lactobacillus had caries. Conclusions: Parental beliefs and attitudes play a key role in moderating oral health related behaviour in young children and in determining whether they develop caries. Further research is indicated to determine whether supporting the development of parenting skills would reduce dental caries in children from disadvantaged communities independent of ethnic origin.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)121-130
Number of pages10
JournalCommunity Dental Health
Volume21
Issue number1 SUPPL.
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2004

Keywords

  • Children
  • Dental caries
  • Epidemiology
  • International
  • Multi-centre

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Dentistry
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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