Parental Perceptions of Oral Health Status in Preschool Children and Associated Factors

The aim of the present study was to evaluate parental perceptions of oral health status in preschool children. A cross-sectional study was carried with 843 Brazilian children between 3 and 5 years of age. Parents/guardians answered a self-administered questionnaire on the health of their children an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBrazilian dental journal Vol. 26; no. 4; p. 428
Main Authors Gomes, Monalisa Cesarino, Clementino, Marayza Alves, Pinto-Sarmento, Tassia Cristina de Almeida, Costa, Edja Maria Melo de Brito, Martins, Carolina Castro, Granville-Garcia, Ana Flávia, Paiva, Saul Martins
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Brazil 01.07.2015
Subjects
Adult
Brazil
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Male
Oral Health
Parents - psychology
Pilot Projects
Quality of Life
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Summary:The aim of the present study was to evaluate parental perceptions of oral health status in preschool children. A cross-sectional study was carried with 843 Brazilian children between 3 and 5 years of age. Parents/guardians answered a self-administered questionnaire on the health of their children and sociodemographic data. Parental perceptions of their child's oral health were determined by the responses to the following question: "How would you describe your child's oral health?" The Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS) was answered by parents/guardians and used to measure the impact of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) on preschool children and their families. Three examiners performed oral exams on the children (K= 0.85-0.90). Descriptive analytical statistics were carried out, followed by logistic regression for complex samples (α=5%). The following variables were significantly associated with parental perceptions of children's oral health: parental perception of general health as poor (OR=18.25; 95% CI: 3.36-98.96), negative impact on family's OHRQoL (OR=13.82; 95% CI: 4.27-44.72), child aged five years (OR=7.40; 95% CI: 1.49-36.63) and the interaction between history of toothache and dental caries (OR=10.02; 95% CI: 1.17-85.61). Thus, parental perceptions of oral health are influenced only by clinical conditions with symptoms, such as dental caries with toothache. Other oral conditions, such as malocclusion or traumatic dental injury, were not associated with parental perceptions of their child's oral health.
ISSN:1806-4760