Association of maternal oral health literacy with dental caries status of 6-9-year-old children according to the caries assessment spectrum and treatment (CAST) index.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the association of maternal oral health literacy (OHL) with dental caries status of 6-9-year-old children according to the Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment (CAST) index.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study evaluated 223 mothers and their 6-9-year-old children who were selected by convenience sampling. The OHL of the mothers was evaluated by the Oral Health Literacy-Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) while the dental caries status of the children was assessed by the CAST index. Data were analyzed by the independent t-test, linear and logistic regression, and Spearman and Pearson's correlation coefficients (alpha = 0.05).

RESULTS

Of 223 children, 51.6% were males. The mean age of the children was 7.25 ± 1.02 years. Mothers with a higher educational level (P = 0.01) and socioeconomic status (P = 0.02) had higher OHL. Optimal oral health behavior of the mothers was significantly associated with their higher OHL, and a lower rate of caries in their children (P < 0.05). The mean OHL score of the mothers was 12.42 ± 2.78, and their OHL had a significant inverse association with primary molar (P < 0.00) and permanent first molar (P = 0.01) caries in their children. Also, the rate of primary molar (P = 0.01 and P = 0.00, respectively) and permanent first molar (P = 0.02 and P < 0.00, respectively) caries was significantly lower in children of working mothers, and those with a higher educational level.

CONCLUSION

The maternal OHL was significantly associated with the dental caries status of 6-9-year-old children according to the CAST index.