The effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy and postnatal household smoking on dental caries in young children.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy and postnatal household smoking on the prevalence of dental caries.


METHODS
Study subjects were 2015 children, age 3 years. Information on maternal smoking during pregnancy and postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home was obtained through questionnaires. Children were classified as having caries if 1 or more of the deciduous teeth had decayed, were missing, or had been filled.


RESULTS
Compared with nonsmoking during pregnancy, maternal smoking throughout pregnancy, but not ceasing to smoke at some time during pregnancy, was associated with an increased prevalence of caries. Regarding postnatal ETS, current but not former ETS exposure at home was independently positively associated with the prevalence of dental caries. A dose-response relationship was observed between cumulative postnatal ETS exposure at home and dental caries.


CONCLUSIONS
Both in utero exposure to maternal smoking and postnatal exposure to ETS may be associated with an increased prevalence of dental caries in young children.
Tanaka
Keiko
K
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan. k-tanaka@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Miyake
Yoshihiro
Y
Sasaki
Satoshi
S
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015984:Causality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution