title: Factors Associated with Oral Health Status in American Indian Children.
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.
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Tamanna
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: David O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Quissell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics & Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Jacob F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Lucinda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Children's Outcomes Research Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Judith E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Albino
keywords: American Indian/Alaska Native children; Caries Risk Factors; ECC; Oral Health Behavior; Psychosocial Factors