Relationship between mothers' sense of coherence and oral health status of preschool children.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between mothers' sense of coherence (SOC) and oral health status in a representative sample of 5-year-old preschool children.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) on a sample of 546 mothers and their 5-year-old children, randomly selected from preschools. Data were collected through questionnaires (mothers), the short version of Antonovsky's SOC scale (SOC-13) and clinical dental examinations (children). Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed on the data. The following 8 outcome variables were selected: dental caries, filled and missing teeth, dental pulp exposure due to caries, dental root fragment, visible plaque, gingivitis and supragingival calculus. The examination was carried out by 2 trained, calibrated examiners.

RESULTS

Mothers with a lower SOC were more likely to have children with decayed teeth (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.01-2.29), dental pulp exposure (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.06-3.77) or filled teeth (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.12-3.06) regardless of the child's social class and gender.

CONCLUSION

The data indicate that mothers' SOC is an important psychosocial determinant of the oral health status among preschool children.