title: Oral health behaviour of Iranian mothers and their 9-year-old children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined associations between the oral health behaviour (OHB) of Iranian mothers and the OHB and oral health status of their children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2005, two self-administered questionnaires provided data on the OHB of a random sample of 9-year-old children (n = 459) and their mothers in Tehran, Iran. Brushing frequency, use of fluoridated toothpaste and number of sugary snacks between meals served as oral self-care (OSC) assessment criteria for both. A clinical examination was performed for children at school. DMFT/dmft values, the restoration index (RI) and the unmet treatment needs index (UTN) facilitated an assessment of children's dental status and treatment. Chi-square test, bivariate correlation, and binary logistic regression model were employed in these analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mother's OSC correlated with child's OSC (r = 0.18; p < 0.01). The reported children's brushing frequency correlated with mothers' brushing frequency (r = 0.2; p < 0.01). High maternal OSC levels were associated with lower dental treatment (DT) values in children (p < 0.01). Children's RI was positively and UTN negatively associated with mothers' OSC (p < 0.01). In the model, mothers' OSC (OR = 2.1) and female gender (OR = 2.1) were associated with children's OSC, while mothers' OSC was strongly associated with DT (OR = 11.0) and RI (OR = 34.0) in children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher OSC levels of the surveyed mothers were reflected positively in the oral health status and behaviour of their offspring. The potential of mothers to play a significant role in the oral health of their children should be kept in mind when developing oral health promotion programmes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, Department of Oral Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland. Zahra.SaiedMoallemi@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Saied-Moallemi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murtomaa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tehranchi
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Virtanen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose