Objectives: To test hypothetical models relating caregivers' social status, knowledge, and self-efficacy to caregiver/child (C/C) oral health-related outcomes.
Methods: One hundred fifty C/C pairs participated (recruitment = 87.7 percent). Three C/C outcomes were clinically assessed: "Oral self-care"; "Functional dentitions"; and "Dental treatment needs." Information about caregiver (CG) social status, knowledge, and self-efficacy was also gathered. Structural equation modeling tested measurement models (MMs) for CG social status, CG knowledge, and CG self-efficacy. The structural models (SMs) hypothesized causal paths among CG social status, CG knowledge, CG self-efficacy, and C/C oral health outcomes.
Results: All three MMs had a good overall fit (nonsignificant χ2 estimates, Goodness of Fit Index >0.95, Normed Fit Index ~ >0.95, Confirmatory Fit Index >95, Root Mean Square Error Approximation <0.05). For the SMs, the best overall fit was for "Functional dentitions," while SMs for "Oral self-care," and "Dental treatment needs" required revisions. In all the SMs, the path between "Caregiver social status" and "Caregiver knowledge" was significant. In the "C/C Functional dentitions" SM, the significant path linked "CG self-efficacy" and "Child functional dentition." In the "C/C Dental treatment needs" SM, the significant path linked "CG self-efficacy" and "CG functional dentition."
Conclusions: Hypothetical models for three oral health-related outcomes were partly or fully validated.
Keywords: caregivers; child; knowledge; oral health; self-efficacy; social status.
© 2020 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.