A Importância da Educação em Saúde Bucal de Pais e Educadores como Fator de Impacto na Saúde Bucal da Criança: Uma Revisão da Literatura / The Importance of Oral Health Education for Parents and Educators as an Impact Factor on Children's Oral Health: A Literature Review

Resumo: A participação tanto de pais como educadores envolve um impacto surpreendente sobre as mudanças de hábitos da criança. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar, por meio da literatura, o quanto a participação de pais e educadores como modelos pode impactar nas condições de saúde bucal dessa população. Tratou-se de uma revisão da literatura com pesquisa na base de dados Lilacs, Scielo e Medline; foram selecionadas publicações de 2010 a 2021, perfazendo um total de 27 textos analisados. Assim, a educação em saúde bucal de pais, educadores e responsáveis influencia na saúde bucal da criança e, quanto mais alto for o nível de educação em saúde dos envolvidos, menor será a incidência de doenças que acometem a cavidade bucal, como a cárie e doenças periodontais em crianças.---Abstract: The participation of both parents and educators has a surprising impact on children's changing habits. The aim of this study was to verify, through the literature, how much the participation of parents and educators as role models can impact the oral health conditions of this population. This was a literature review with a search in Lilacs, Scielo and Medline databases; publications from 2010 to 2021 were selected, totaling 27 texts analyzed. Finally, the oral health education of parents, educators and guardians influences the child's oral health and, the higher the level of health education of those involved, the lower the incidence of diseases that affect the oral cavity, such as caries and periodontal diseases in children.Keywords: Oral health education. Literacy in oral health. Pediatric Dentistry.

Guardian Reports of Children's Sub-optimal Oral Health Are Associated With Clinically Determined Early Childhood Caries, Unrestored Caries Lesions, and History of Toothaches

Background: Parents'/guardians' perceptions of their children's oral health are useful proxies of their clinically determined caries status and are known to influence dental care-seeking behavior. In this study, we sought to examine (1) the social and behavioral correlates of fair/poor child oral health reported by guardians and (2) quantify the association of these reports with the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC), unrestored caries lesions and toothaches.Methods: We used guardian-reported child oral health information (dichotomized as fair/poor vs. excellent/very good/good) obtained via a parent questionnaire that was completed for n = 7,965 participants (mean age = 52 months; range = 36-71 months) of a community-based, cross-sectional epidemiologic study of early childhood oral health in North Carolina between 2016 and 2019. Social, demographic, oral health-related behavioral data, and reports on children's history of toothaches (excluding teething) were collected in the same questionnaire. Unrestored ECC (i.e., caries lesions) was measured via clinical examinations in a subset of n = 6,328 children and was defined as the presence of one or more tooth surfaces with an ICDAS ≥ 3 caries lesion. Analyses relied on descriptive and bivariate methods, and multivariate modeling with average marginal effect (A.M.E.) estimation accounting for the clustered nature of the data. Estimates of association [prevalence ratios (PR) and adjusted marginal effects (AME) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)] were obtained via multilevel generalized linear models using Stata's svy function and accounting for the clustered nature of the data.Results: The prevalence of fair/poor oral health in this sample was 15%–it increased monotonically with children's age, was inversely associated with parents' educational attainment, and was higher among Hispanics (21%) and African Americans (15%) compared to non-Hispanic whites (11%). Brushing less than twice a day, not having a dental home, and frequently consuming sugar-containing snacks and beverages were significantly associated with worse reports (P < 0.0005). Children with fair/poor reported oral health were twice as likely to have unrestored caries lesions [prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8-2.1] and 3.5 times as likely to have experienced toothaches [PR = 3.5; 95% CI = 3.1-3.9] compared to those with better reported oral health.Conclusions: Guardian reports of their children's oral health are valuable indicators of clinical and public health-important child oral health status. Those with fair/poor guardian-reported child oral health have distinguishing characteristics spanning socio-demographics, oral-health related practices, diet, and presence of a dental home.

Oral Health Related Knowledge, Attitude And Behavior Among Group of Mothers In Relation To Their Primary School Children’s Oral Health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of a group of mothers with their children aged 6-12 years regarding their own and their children’s oral health and to evaluate its impact on their children oral health status in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A validated, and reliable Arabic questionnaire comprised four sections (demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status, Hiroshima University– Dental Behavioral Inventory; HU-DBI; for mother’ attitudes and behavior pertaining their own oral health, mothers’ knowledge, and mothers’ attitudes regarding oral health of their children) was used for this study. The questionnaire was completed by the mothers. A clinical oral examination was performed for the children, attending primary schools in Jeddah city, to detect the caries experience and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S). Results: A total of 1496 mother-child pairs completed the study. The mean values of dmft were 4.08 ± 3.47; DMFT was 1.82 ± 2.07; total dmft and DMFT was 5.65 ± 4.05; and the OHI-S was 1.17 ± 0.94. According to the questionnaire results, mothers in private schools had a more favorable attitude and behavior toward their own oral health, as well as a more favorable knowledge and attitude toward their children's oral health. The multiple linear regression model revealed that the children's dmft/DMFT scores were significantly related to mother education, mother questionnaire scores, and the OHI-S. Conclusion: Mother education, knowledge, and attitude all play a role in the development of dental caries. Overall, mothers need to improve their oral health attitudes and behaviors, as well as increase their level of oral health knowledge.

Children's oral health

Tom Alcraft explains why tools matter as much as the message

149Interaction of socioeconomic status on the association between guardians’ sense of coherence and children’s caries

Background Untreated caries is the most prevalent disease in the world. A sense of coherence (SOC) contributes to oral health. However, little is known about the association between guardians' SOC and children’s oral health. We aimed to clarify the association between guardians’ SOC and their children’s caries based on socioeconomic status in Japan. Methods This study’s subjects were Japanese public junior high schoolers, aged 12-15, and their guardians. We administered a questionnaire survey among guardians in 2016 to assess their SOC and family environment. With their students’ consent, public junior high schools shared the results of the dental examinations. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to clarify the association between guardians’ SOC and their children’s untreated decayed permanent teeth. We also conducted a stratified analysis according to a relative poverty line. Furthermore, we included interaction term of annual equivalent incomes, educational attainment with guardians’ SOC in analysis. Results We observed a significant inverse association between children’s untreated decay and their guardians’ SOC (OR 0.93). Equivalent annual income had a significant marginal association with decayed teeth (OR 0.14). The association of SOC was stronger in the low economic group (OR 0.64). In the high economic group, educational attainment was significantly associated with decayed teeth (OR 0.50). Conclusions Guardians with higher SOC were associated with children having fewer caries. Guardians’ SOC is a preventive factor for children’s caries, especially among children with low economic status. Key messages This result suggests that guardians’ SOC is one of the psychosocial determinant of children’s oral health.

Parental Influences on Children’s Oral Health Behaviors, Reading Behaviors, and Reading Attitudes Associated with the Sharing of a Digital Story from the eBook for Oral Health Literacy© Curriculum

This study investigated the relationships between parents and their children on oral health behaviors, reading behaviors, reading attitudes, and liking perceptions of one chapter from an eBook curriculum intervention. A Qualtrics platform was used to survey 316 parent-child dyads across the United States before and after the shared reading of one chapter from the eBook for Oral Health Literacy© entitled “Setting Goals for Going to the Dentist”. Participants answered 75 questions about their teeth brushing and flossing behaviors, number of cavities, how often they visited libraries and bookstores, enjoyment of reading, and perceptions (liking) of the words and pictures of the chapter that they read and heard. Statistically significant relationships were found between parents and their children on oral health behaviors (?2 = 49.12, p < 0.001); reading behaviors (?2 = 10.4, p < 0.01), reading attitudes (?2 = 8.773, p < 0.01), and perception (liking) of the eBook chapter that they read and heard (?2 = 113.813, p < 0.01). Results from 301 parent-child dyads point to the importance of social modeling that parents play in the development of their children’s oral health behaviors, reading behaviors, and reading attitudes. Testing of additional chapters from the eBook intervention is warranted.

Children’s Oral Health on Pico Island, Azores (Portugal)

Pediatric dentistry focuses on children’s oral health. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of malocclusion in a pediatric population. Eighty-two children (3–12 years old), of both genders, who belong to a Social Solidarity Institution for Children in Pico Island were clinically examined. Half were female and half were male, in which most were 7 years old (20.7%) with mixed dentition (58.5%). The highest prevalence was in canine class I and vertical molar. Most children did not have malocclusion characteristics (56.1%).