Factors Associated with Oral Health Status in American Indian Children
Tamanna Tiwari, David O Quissell, William G Henderson, Jacob F Thomas, Lucinda L Bryant, Patricia A Braun, Judith E Albino, Tamanna Tiwari, David O Quissell, William G Henderson, Jacob F Thomas, Lucinda L Bryant, Patricia A Braun, Judith E Albino
Abstract
The literature reports psychosocial, environmental, and cultural factors related to Early Childhood Caries (ECC), but few studies have included American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. AI/AN children have the highest prevalence of ECC among any population group in the United States. This study examined socio-demographic characteristics of children and their parents/caregivers and psychosocial characteristics of parents/caregivers as risk factors for baseline oral health status of preschool children in the Navajo Nation, as part of a 3-year cluster randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of trained community workers providing a fluoride varnish and oral health promotion intervention to. The study recruited 1,015 children at 52 Head Start Centers. Baseline ECC data were collected by calibrated dental hygienists for 981 of the children ages of 3-5 years, and a Basic Research Factors Questionnaire (BRFQ) was completed by their parents/caregivers. Bivariable analysis revealed that dmfs was higher in older children; in males; in children with male parents/caregivers; and when the parent/caregiver had less education and income, worse oral health behavior in caring for their children's teeth, and higher scores for external powerful others and external chance locus of control, greater perceived susceptibility and barriers, and lower scores for community risky behavior. In a multiple linear regression model, the variables that remained statistically significant were child's age and gender, and oral health behavior score of the parent/caregiver. Intervening to improve parent/caregiver oral health behavior in caring for the teeth of children potentially could in AI/AN children.
Keywords: American Indian/Alaska Native children; Caries Risk Factors; ECC; Oral Health Behavior; Psychosocial Factors.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflict of interest: Tiwari T, Quissell DO, Henderson WG, Thomas JF, Bryant LL, Braun PA, and Albino J declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Source: PubMed