OBJECTIVES: We assessed how socioeconomic and clinical conditions could affect parents' perceptions of their child's oral health. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 455 children, aged 1-5 years, representative of Santa Maria, a southern city in Brazil. Participants were randomly selected among children attending a National Day of Children's Vaccination. Clinical examinations provided information on the prevalence of caries, dental trauma, and occlusion. The caregivers' perception of children's oral health and socioeconomic status were assessed by means of a questionnaire. A Poisson regression model using robust variance (Prevalence ratio: PR; 95% CI, P ≤ 0.05) was performed to assess the association between the predictor variables and outcomes. RESULTS: Parents were more likely to rate their child's oral health as 'poor' if the former earned a lower income and the latter had anterior open bite and dental caries. Parents of black children with anterior open bite and dental caries were more likely to rate their child's oral health as 'worse than that of other children'. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and socioeconomic characteristics are significantly associated with parents' perceptions of their child's oral health. Understanding the caregivers' perceptions of children's oral health and the factors affecting this could be useful in the planning of public health polices, in view of the inequity in the oral health pattern.
OBJECTIVES: We assessed how socioeconomic and clinical conditions could affect parents' perceptions of their child's oral health. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 455 children, aged 1-5 years, representative of Santa Maria, a southern city in Brazil. Participants were randomly selected among children attending a National Day of Children's Vaccination. Clinical examinations provided information on the prevalence of caries, dental trauma, and occlusion. The caregivers' perception of children's oral health and socioeconomic status were assessed by means of a questionnaire. A Poisson regression model using robust variance (Prevalence ratio: PR; 95% CI, P ≤ 0.05) was performed to assess the association between the predictor variables and outcomes. RESULTS: Parents were more likely to rate their child's oral health as 'poor' if the former earned a lower income and the latter had anterior open bite and dental caries. Parents of black children with anterior open bite and dental caries were more likely to rate their child's oral health as 'worse than that of other children'. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and socioeconomic characteristics are significantly associated with parents' perceptions of their child's oral health. Understanding the caregivers' perceptions of children's oral health and the factors affecting this could be useful in the planning of public health polices, in view of the inequity in the oral health pattern.
Authors: Karolina Gerreth; Timucin Ari; Wojciech Bednarz; Michal Nowicki; Maria Borysewicz-Lewicka Journal: Med Princ Pract Date: 2019-09-16 Impact factor: 1.927
Authors: Ana Carolina Scarpelli; Branca Heloísa Oliveira; Flávia C Tesch; Anna Thereza Leão; Isabela A Pordeus; Saul M Paiva Journal: BMC Oral Health Date: 2011-06-13 Impact factor: 2.757