title: Validation and Impact of Caregivers' Oral Health Knowledge and Behavior on Children's Oral Health Status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To validate oral health knowledge and behavior measures from the Basic Research Factors Questionnaire, developed to capture specific themes contributing to children's oral health outcomes and the influence of caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial (n equals 992) aimed at reducing dental caries in young children. Participants were American Indian/Alaska Native caregivers with a three- to five-year-old child enrolled in a Navajo Nation Head Start Center. Caregivers completed the questionnaire at enrollment with concomitant evaluation of children for decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces (dmfs). Oral health knowledge and behavior outcomes were compared with convergent measures (participant sociodemographic characteristics, oral health attitudes, and indicators of oral health status).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caregiver oral health knowledge was significantly associated with education, income, oral health behavior, and all but one of the oral health attitude measures. Behavior was significantly associated with several measures of oral health attitudes and all but one measure of oral health status. As the behavior score improved, dmfs scores declined, child/caregiver overall oral health status improved, and pediatric oral health quality of life improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Questionnaire measures were valid for predicting specific caregiver factors potentially contributing to children's oral health status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA. Anne.wilson@childrenscolorado.org.
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Angela G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brega
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Campagna
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Family Medicine, Adult and Child Center Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Lucinda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Systems Management and Policy, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Terrence S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Batliner
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, Colorado School of Public Health, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: David O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Quissell
authors.affiliation: Center for Native Oral Health Research, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., USA.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albino
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires