Oral health behaviour, attitude towards, and knowledge of dental caries among mothers of 0- to 3-year-old children living in Kaunas, Lithuania. 2020

Sandra Petrauskienė, and Julija Narbutaitė, and Aušra Petrauskienė, and Jorma I Virtanen
Clinic for Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.

This study aimed to investigate the oral health behaviours of mothers with young children and their attitudes towards dental caries. The survey targeted all mothers with children under 3 years attending a primary healthcare centre (Department of Family Medicine at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences [LSMU] Hospital) in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Bioethics Centre of the LSMU approved the study (No. BEC-OF-14). Of 176 mothers, 123 (69.9%) took part in the 2016-2017 study. The self-administered questionnaire enquired about mothers' attitudes towards oral health and behaviours related to the potential transmission of oral bacteria to their children, dietary habits, tooth brushing, smoking, and background factors. The chi-squared test and univariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses served for the statistical analysis. (p values ≤ .05 indicated statistically significant differences). Most (76; 68.5%) of the mothers brushed their teeth twice daily, and 97 (87.4%) reported themselves as nonsmokers. We found a statistically significant association between mothers who brushed their own teeth twice daily and those who cleaned their children's teeth likewise (OR = 5.42, 95% CI [1.28-6.63]; p = .005). We observed significant associations among mothers who gave their children sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) daily and the mothers' college or lower education (OR = 6.51, 95% CI [1.59-27.19]; p = .01) and maternal tooth brushing less than twice daily (OR = 3.88, 95% CI [0.99-15.18]; p = .05). A majority of mothers who took part in this survey did not brush their children's teeth as recommended. Mothers with a lower education and who brushed their teeth less than twice daily offered their children SSBs more frequently.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D007231 Infant, Newborn An infant during the first 28 days after birth. Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007722 Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL). Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
D008097 Lithuania Country in eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus. The capital is Vilnius.
D008423 Maternal Age The age of the mother in PREGNANCY. Age, Maternal,Ages, Maternal,Maternal Ages
D009035 Mothers Female parents, human or animal. Mothers' Clubs,Club, Mothers',Clubs, Mothers',Mother,Mother Clubs,Mother's Clubs,Mothers Clubs,Mothers' Club
D009909 Oral Health The optimal state of the mouth and normal functioning of the organs of the mouth without evidence of disease. Health, Oral
D009910 Oral Hygiene The practice of personal hygiene of the mouth. It includes the maintenance of oral cleanliness, tissue tone, and general preservation of oral health. Dental Hygiene,Hygiene, Dental,Hygiene, Oral
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children

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