Fewer Children in Families Associated with Lower Odds of Early Childhood Caries: A Sample from Three Countries

Amy H Park; Rachel J Kulchar; Sita Manasa Susarla; Bathsheba Turton; Karen Sokal-Gutierrez

doi:10.3390/ijerph20032195

Fewer Children in Families Associated with Lower Odds of Early Childhood Caries: A Sample from Three Countries

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 26;20(3):2195. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032195.

Authors

Amy H Park¹, Rachel J Kulchar², Sita Manasa Susarla³, Bathsheba Turton⁴, Karen Sokal-Gutierrez³

Affiliations

¹ Rausser College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.
² Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
³ School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.
⁴ Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

Abstract

Childhood caries experience is influenced by family characteristics and oral health practices in the context of many social-commercial determinants. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between families' number of children, oral health practices and child caries experience in a convenience sample of 1374 children aged 6 months through 6 years and their families from Ecuador, Nepal, and Vietnam. Data were collected by mother interviews and child dental exams. Multivariate logistic and Zero-Inflated-Poisson regression analyses assessed associations between number of children, oral health practices and decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft). Families had a mean of 2.2 children (range 1-12); 72% of children had tooth decay, with mean dmft of 5.4. Adjusting for child age, sex, and urban/rural location, a greater number of children in the family was associated with significantly less likelihood of unhealthy bottle feeding practices, having a toothbrush/toothpaste and parent helping child brush, and being cavity-free; higher number of dmft, and greater likelihood of having a dental visit. Early childhood oral health promotion should include focus on oral hygiene and healthy feeding-particularly breastfeeding and healthy bottle feeding practices-as well as access to family planning services and support for childcare.

Keywords: child; dental caries; family characteristics; oral health; siblings; social determinants of health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
DMF Index
Dental Caries Susceptibility*
Dental Caries* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Mothers
Oral Health
Oral Hygiene
Prevalence
Toothbrushing

Grants and funding

Funding for the collection of the original data used in this analysis was supported by small grants from UC Berkeley Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley Blum Center Big Ideas Fund, UC Berkeley Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP), American Academy of Pediatrics I-CATCH, Global Healing, America Nepal Medical Foundation, and donations to the Children’s Oral Health and Nutrition Project charitable fund at UC Berkeley. Partial funding for this analysis was provided by the UC Berkeley URAP Summer Award.