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The influence of mothers’ oral health behaviour and perception thereof on the dental health of their children

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Abstract

Objective

The study aims to investigate how mothers’ oral health behaviour and perception thereof influence the dental health in their children.

Methods

A total of 556 Vietnamese mother–child pairs participated in the current study. Mothers self-reported their oral status and oral health behaviour and perception. Dental caries of the children were examined using the index of decayed, missing, and filled teeth. The Dental Anxiety Scale instrument was used to assess the dental anxiety level in mothers and children.

Results

Among mothers, 41.3% had gingival bleeding, 40% perceived their dentition and gingival status to be at a good level, 68% brushed their teeth more than twice a day, and 17% had never visited a dentist. Mothers’ oral health behaviour and their perception thereof were positively correlated with their frequency of dental visits (r = (0.105–0.221), p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with dental anxiety (r = (− 0.149– − 0.105), p < 0.05).

Caries-free children were positively correlated with mothers having more than 20 teeth (r = 0.085, p < 0.05). Positive correlations between mothers and children were found in terms of frequency of fresh fruits consumption (r = 0.090, p < 0.05), drinking sweet beverages (r = 0.072, p < 0.05), and dental anxiety (r = 0.183, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Maternal oral health was significantly associated with dental health of their children. Not only did maternal dental anxiety influence oral health of mothers but it was also a concomitant factor in the development of children’s dental anxiety. The education programme on mothers’ oral health-related knowledge can be a target for improvement of the oral health of mothers and children.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the dental staff of Da Nang University of Medical Technology and dental hygienists of Hoa Lu, Le Quy Don, Nguyen Du, Phu Dong, and Vo Thi Sau schools for their supports in collecting data.

Funding

This study was funded by Estonian Science Foundation (Grant number 9255).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Dentistry, University of Tartu, Raekoja plats 6, 51003, Tartu, Estonia

    Jana Olak, Minh Son Nguyen & Mare Saag

  2. Danang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, 99 Hung Vuong, Danang, Vietnam

    Minh Son Nguyen, Thuy Trang Nguyen & Bui Bao Tien Nguyen

Authors
  1. Jana Olak
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  2. Minh Son Nguyen
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  3. Thuy Trang Nguyen
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  4. Bui Bao Tien Nguyen
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  5. Mare Saag
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Minh Son Nguyen.

Ethics declarations

This study was registered and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy and performed in accordance with the World Medical Association’s Helsinki Declaration. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with these ethical standards. Informed consent letter with detailed descriptions of the aims and procedures of the study was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Olak, J., Nguyen, M.S., Nguyen, T.T. et al. The influence of mothers’ oral health behaviour and perception thereof on the dental health of their children. EPMA Journal 9, 187–193 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13167-018-0134-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13167-018-0134-x

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