Impact of dental orientation given to mothers during pregnancy on oral health of their children

The Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Lebanese Mothers Toward Their Children's Oral Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Lebanese mothers toward their children's oral health, examine the association between the three variables, and identify their predictors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was administered to Lebanese mothers residing in Lebanon with children aged six months to 12 years between April and May 2022. The survey was administered to mothers from various geographical areas who presented to academic medical centers, private clinics, and dispensaries. The survey gathered sociodemographic data as well as assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the participating mothers toward their children's oral health.

RESULTS

A total of 357 responses were included in the final analysis. The mean age of mothers was 32.67 years +/- 6.35. The majority of mothers had one or two children (35.8% and 37.5%, respectively). More than two-thirds of the mothers were unemployed. Only 13% of the mothers followed best practices for their children's dental health, while 48.6.2% possessed above-average knowledge and 88.9% had great attitudes. Mothers with a university education had higher knowledge, better attitudes, and practice scores than those with school-level education (elementary, high school). Employed mothers had a significantly better knowledge score (p=0.036) and practice score (p=0.043) than unemployed mothers. The decrease in the number of children was associated with an increase in the maternal knowledge score. An increase in the mother's age was associated with a higher knowledge score.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggest the need for targeted oral health education programs for Lebanese mothers to enhance their attitudes and practices toward their children's oral health. It highlights the importance of early oral health interventions and emphasizes the significant role of mothers in promoting good oral health practices for their children. Further research is needed on a larger scale to comprehensively understand these variables and inform the development of appropriate national oral health programs for children in Lebanon.

Maternal Knowledge of Oral Health During Pregnancy and Childbirth

OBJECTIVE

This cohort study was to investigate maternal knowledge of the oral health of woman and children during pregnancy and after childbirth, and the associated factors.

METHODS

Groups of women participating in a public prenatal dental care programme in Brazil were assessed, in two different stages. In the first stage, pregnant women were assessed for their own oral health. In the second stage, after childbirth, women were assessed for the oral health of their child. The examiner assigned a maternal knowledge score to the questionnaires, considering the ideal alternatives within the context of oral health promotion as correct answers. Statistical analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis and multiple linear regression tests, considering a level of significance of P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight women were included in the study, with a mean age 26.27 years (SD 6.51). In the regression analysis, the maternal knowledge score was associated with the presence of myths about oral health (P < 0.01), the children first dental appointment in the first year of life (P = 0.07), the presence of a non-nutritious sucking habit (P < 0.01), considering dental treatment to be important during pregnancy (P < 0.01), and having been instructed on oral health during pregnancy (P < 0.01) and after the children birth (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that the women showed a regular score of knowledge about their oral health and that of their children, as they still believed in some myths about oral health and the risks of dental treatment during pregnancy. Women who received guidance on oral health in pregnancy and after birth showed higher knowledge of their oral health and that of their children, demonstrating the importance of carrying out health promotion actions during pregnancy and the first years of the child's life.

Mothers' Awareness of the Correlation between Their Own and Their Children's Oral Health

Pregnancy is a critical time for a woman since it involves a series of changes in the body due to hormonal fluctuations and changes that can also influence the oral cavity and can lead to certain pathologies, such as carious lesions. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated over the years that having poor dental health during pregnancy might have a significant impact on the child's oral health. The aim of the study is to analyze the level of knowledge and information of mothers on the importance of oral health care before, during, and after pregnancy as a preventive factor for the future oral health of the child. A questionnaire of 13 multiple choice questions was formulated and delivered from 24 February 2022 to 13 July 2022, aimed at women with at least one child. The Department of Pediatric Dentistry of the Borgo Cavalli Clinic in Treviso and the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Santa Maria di Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso were the data collection centers. Crosstabs with dependency variables were used to statistically analyze the results. The study cohort consists of 411 women, whose responses showed that the majority did not have dental visits before and during pregnancy, which is why 74% of the whole sample did not request or receive information from professionals. Most mothers knew that they had to cleanse their child's mouth and, among them, those who responded more correctly, that is, who started before the eruption of the teeth, had received instructions from professionals. However, the low frequency of mothers performing dental checks during pregnancy did not allow mothers to become aware of the possibility of transmitting the carious lesions to their child, as conscious mothers represent 21%. Education from dentist and dental hygienists, gynecologists, and pediatricians is essential since they have an impact on mothers' habits and behaviors and ensure favorable oral health for both the mother and the child.

What Do Mothers (or Caregivers) Know about Their Children’s Oral Hygiene? An Update of the Current Evidence

Tooth decay remains one of the most common diseases in children, although it is a preventable injury and despite significant advances that has been made in terms of attention and care for oral hygiene. Several studies have shown the association between prevalence of tooth decay in children and parents’ incorrect oral care habits, with a low educational level and a low socioeconomic background. The question that arises concerns the actual oral hygiene knowledge of mothers, fathers, family members or caregivers of young patients; therefore, the aim of this review is to investigate the genesis of gaps in the topic. A literature search was conducted through the Scopus and PubMed search engine and ended in May 2022; only studies from the past 20 years were included. Current evidence suggests that parents and caregivers still have little knowledge about their children’s oral health: there is not enough awareness about the importance of preventing oral diseases, due to poor attention to good oral hygiene but also lack of information from health professionals and institutions. In the future, all the professionals involved in the pregnant woman’s care should increase parents’ knowledge, solve their doubts, collect and compare data in order to design effective intervention programs.

Factors related to orientation of search for dental care in high risk pregnancy

Abstract Objectives: to relate the search for dental care during pregnancy to sociodemographic, gestational and dental characteristics. Methods: quantitative approach study with cross-sectional design carried out with high-risk pregnant women, from January to May 2018. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square association test and Fisher's exact test, followed by logistic regression analysis and odds ratio calculation. Results: the final sample was composed of 190 pregnant women and the guidance for seeking dental care was significantly related to issues related to Prenatal Dental Care, regarding safety (p = 0.025), effective search (p < 0.0001) and the Unit Basic Health Care as a place of assistance (p = 0.0018). Pregnant women who did not receive search guidance are 19.6 more likely to not seek this service (p <0.001), when they seek it without guidance, they have 6.3 more chances to seek private services (p = 0.014) and when they do not receive guidance, they are 4.5 more likely to not feel secure in relation to this assistance (p = 0.005). Conclusion: the guidance and encouragement provided by the health team is paramount in pregnant woman's decision to seek assistance, especially in the context of Primary Health Care, and is characterized as a strategic tool in reducing insecurities related to dental treatment during pregnancy.

Satisfação das gestantes durante a consulta odontológica no Sistema Único de Saúde, Brasil

Objetivo O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar a taxa de gestantes satisfeitas com a consulta odontológica realizada no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS-Brasil) e fatores associados. Metodologia O estudo foi do tipo transversal. Para coleta de dados foi elaborado um questionário abordando variáveis sociodemográficas e relacionadas a gestação. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de entrevistas face a face em um hospital maternidade da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre-RS-Brasil. O teste de qui-quadrado e a regressão de Poisson com variância robusta (p<0,05) foram utilizados nas análises bi e multivariada. Resultados Das 302 mulheres entrevistadas, 50%(n=151) realizaram consulta odon- tológica durante a gestação e destas, 86% (n=131) estavam satisfeitas com a consulta. Na análise multivariada verificou-se que a variável avaliação das consultas de pré-natal como boa aumentou em 14% [Razão de Prevalência (RP)=1,14; Intervalo de Confiança (IC) 95%:1,01-1,27] a probabilidade de as mulheres expressarem satisfação com a variável desfecho. Conclusão Conclui-se que foi alta taxa de satisfação com as consultas odontológicas realizadas no SUS pelas gestantes e avaliação das consultas de pré-natal como boa foi fator associado. Estes resultados poderiam ser considerados durante o planejamento estratégico, execução e avaliação das políticas de saúde direcionadas para este grupo operativo.

Impact of motivational interviewing on early childhood caries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The authors aimed to assess the scientific evidence on motivational interviewing for the clinical reduction of early childhood caries compared with traditional dental health education.

METHODS

Search terms were selected on the basis of Medical Subject Headings and non-Medical Subject Headings terms. The main key words were motivational interviewing, early childhood caries, and education. Potentially eligible studies involved the clinical assessment of caries rate in children whose parents or caregivers received motivational interviewing as an intervention. The authors assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. In March 2019, the authors performed an electronic database search of literature published in English within the following databases: Scopus, Cochrane, PubMed, and Embase.

RESULTS

Of 329 articles retrieved initially, 14 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and 3 articles contributed to the meta-analysis. For statistical analysis, the mean difference of continuous data was analyzed at a 95% confidence interval using the random-effects model.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the evidence presented in this review was limited. Although the results of the meta-analysis showed that motivational interviewing is as effective as dental health education in controlling early childhood caries, we need more and better designed and reported interventions to assess its impact on early childhood caries accurately.

Parents' perceptions and related factors of the oral health status of Brazilian children enrolled in public preschools

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate parents' perceptions of the oral health status of children enrolled in public preschools and associated factors.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study with data collected via self-administered questionnaire. A total of 474 questionnaires were distributed in public preschools in the city of Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Poisson regression models were used in the multivariate analysis (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

The study included 171 (36%) valid questionnaires. The prevalence of parents who perceived the oral health status of their children as negative was 29.8% (n = 51). Mother being unemployed (vs employed) increased by 16% the likelihood of parents perceiving the oral health status of their children as negative (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.31. Parents having (vs having not) observed difficulties in the child's ability to eat increased by 27% the likelihood of perceiving the child's oral health status as negative (PR 1.27; 95% CI 1.08-1.48), while child's tooth brushing 1-2 (vs 3 or more) times a day and family income up to 2 (vs 3 or more) minimum wages increased it by 14% (PR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03-1.27 for both). Current or past use (vs no use) of pacifiers increased by 12% the likelihood of parents' negative perceptions (PR 1.12; 95% CI 1.00-1.25).

CONCLUSION

We can conclude that unemployed mothers, low-income families, parents having observed child's feeding difficulties, child's tooth brushing 1-2 times a day, and current or past use of pacifiers contributed significantly to parents' negative perception of the child's oral health status. These factors are essential for the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of actions aimed at controlling the oral health of children enrolled in public preschools.