title: Influence of maternal dental anxiety on the child's dental caries experience.
abstract: This study assessed the influence of maternal dental anxiety-related behavior on the child's caries experience. A cross-sectional study with 608 mother-child dyads during the Children's National Immunization Campaign in Pelotas, Brazil was performed. Mothers were asked to answer a questionnaire and dental examination of the children was performed (dmft). The association assessment used Poisson regression. Children from anxious mothers were more likely to present untreated caries even after covariate adjustment. Boys, older children and low-income family children presented a higher dmft mean. Preventive strategies should focus not only on child and family characteristics, but also on maternal dental anxiety-related behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Goettems
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ardenghi
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Demarco
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Torriani
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000145:classification; D004522:Educational Status; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D009679:Nuclear Family; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class