Familial and cultural perceptions and beliefs of oral hygiene and dietary practices among ethnically and socio-economicall diverse groups.
OBJECTIVE; The aim of this international study was to develop a valid and reliable psychometric measure to examine the extent to which parents' attitudes about engaging in twice-daily tooth brushing and controlling sugar snacking predict these respective behaviours in their children. A supplementary objective was to assess whether ethnic group, culture, level of deprivation or children's caries experience impact upon the relationships between oral health related behaviours, attitudes to these respective behaviours and to dental caries.


METHODS
Nurseries, health centres and dental clinics in 17 countries.


METHODS
2822 children aged 3 to 4 years and their parents.


METHODS
Dental examination of children and questionnaire to parents.


RESULTS
Factor analysis identified 8 coherent attitudes towards toothbrushing, sugar snacking and childhood caries. Attitudes were significantly different in families from deprived and non-deprived backgrounds and in families of children with and without caries. Parents perception of their ability to control their children's toothbrushing and sugar snacking habits were the most significant predictor of whether or not favourable habits were reported. Some differences were found by site and ethnic group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the hypothesis that parental attitudes significantly impact on the establishment of habits favourable to oral health. An appreciation of the impact of cultural and ethnic diversity is important in understanding how parental attitudes to oral health vary. Further research should examine in a prospective intervention whether enhancing parenting skills is an effective route to preventing childhood caries.
Adair
Pauline M
PM
Department of Clinical Psychology, The Royal Hospitals, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Pine
Cynthia M
CM
Burnside
Girvan
G
Nicoll
Alison D
AD
Gillett
Angela
A
Anwar
Shahid
S
Broukal
Zdenek
Z
Chestnutt
Ivor G
IG
Declerck
Dominique
D
Ping
Feng Xi
FX
Ferro
Roberto
R
Freeman
Ruth
R
Grant-Mills
Donna
D
Gugushe
Tshepo
T
Hunsrisakhun
Jaranya
J
Irigoyen-Camacho
Maria
M
Lo
Edward C M
EC
Moola
Mohamed Hanif
MH
Naidoo
Sudeshni
S
Nyandindi
Ursuline
U
Poulsen
Vibeke Juul
VJ
Ramos-Gomez
Francisco
F
Razanamihaja
Noëline
N
Shahid
Swarngit
S
Skeie
Marit Slåttelid
MS
Skur
O Patricia
OP
Splieth
Christian
C
Soo
Teo Choo
TC
Whelton
Helen
H
Young
David W
DW
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003467:Cultural Deprivation; D003469:Culture; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing
D019422:Dietary Sucrose