Maternal attitudes towards tooth decay in children aged 12–18 months in Pelotas, Brazil

• Published in: European archives of paediatric dentistry Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 383 - 389
• Main Authors: da Silveira, E. R., dos Santos Costa, F., Azevedo, M. S., Romano, A. R., Cenci, M. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Attitude to Health; Attitudes; Bivariate analysis; Brazil; Children; Children & youth; Dental Care - psychology; Dental caries; Dental Caries - psychology; Dentistry; Dentists; DMF Index; Educational Status; Families & family life; Family; Family income; Family structure; Female; Humans; Immunization; Income; Infant; Interviews; Male; Maternal Age; Medicine; Middle Aged; Mothers; Mothers - education; Mothers - psychology; Oral hygiene; Original Scientific Article; Parent educational background; Performance evaluation; Preschool children; Public health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Social Class; Socioeconomic factors; Teeth; Tooth, Deciduous - pathology; Variables; Young Adult; Brazil; United States > US; Dental caries; Attitude; Mothers; Deciduous tooth
• ISSN: 1818-6300; 1996-9805
• DOI: 10.1007/s40368-015-0182-z

Aim This was to assess mothers’ attitudes towards dental caries in children aged 12–18 months. Methods This study targeted mothers of children aged 12–18 months. Data about demographic and socioeconomic status were collected by interviews with each mother. In addition, the mother was asked about her attitudes regarding caries in her child’s primary teeth. A dental examination of each child was also conducted. Chi-square, bivariate, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results A total of 262 mother–child pairs were included, and 18.7 % of the children had dental caries. If a child presented with dental caries in their primary teeth, 93.5 % of the mothers reported that they would take the child to a dentist. Mothers who had only one child and those who had children with dental caries were more likely to report that they did not expect primary dental caries treatment by the dentist. Conclusion Most mothers reported that they would take their children to a dentist when they presented with dental caries. Despite this positive result, educational measures should continue to be emphasised, especially among mothers of children at a higher risk of caries and among first-time mothers.