Maternal Oral Health and Child Oral Health-Related Quality of Life
Author Information
Author(s): Shearer Dara M, Thomson W Murray, Broadbent Jonathan M, Poulton Richie
Primary Institution: University of Otago
Hypothesis
Mothers' self-rated oral health when children are young can predict her offspring's oral health-related quality of life many years later.
Conclusion
Maternal self-rated oral health when a child is young affects that child's oral health-related quality of life almost three decades later.
Supporting Evidence
- Children of mothers with poor self-rated oral health had higher mean total OHIP-14 scores at age 32.
- Maternal self-rated oral health status at age 5 was associated with the prevalence of impacts on the OHIP-14 scale at age 32.
- The risk of having one or more impacts in the psychological discomfort subscale was significantly higher for children of mothers with poor oral health.
Takeaway
If a mom has bad teeth, her kids might have bad teeth too when they grow up, which can make them feel sad about their smiles.
Methodology
The study used oral examination and interview data from the Dunedin Study's age-32 assessment and maternal self-rated oral health data from the age-5 assessment.
Potential Biases
Reliance on self-report data may introduce bias.
Limitations
The analysis was limited to those examined at both ages, which may have led to an under-estimation of the strength of the observed associations.
Participant Demographics
Participants were from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, with a mix of socioeconomic statuses.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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