title: Maternal identification of dental caries lesions in their children aged 1-3 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the maternal identification of different stages of dental caries in children aged 1-3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted with 274 children and their mothers. The mothers answered a questionnaire on the occurrence of dental caries in their children and completed questions addressing their demographic/socio-economic status. The oral examination of the children was performed using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System. Descriptive, Chi square test and Poisson regression statistical analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of initial and established/severe dental caries lesions by age were: 1 year (23.2 and 24.2%), 2 years (17.9 and 55.7%) and 3 years (23.3 and 60.3%) respectively. Significant associations between clinical examinations and the mothers' reports were observed among children aged 1 year old who had initial stage caries lesions (p = 0.006) and in children aged 1, 2 and 3 years old who had established/severe stage caries lesions (p < 0.001). After adjustment for confounding variables it was found that mothers were more able to identify dental caries both at initial (PR 4.01, 95% CI 1.35-11.94) and established/severe stages (PR 9.14, 95% CI 2.49-33.56) in children aged 1 year old. In children aged 2 and 3 years, this identification was more evident in the established/severe stage (2 years, PR 2.98, 95% CI 1.42-6.26; 3 years, PR 2.75, 95% CI 1.09-6.93).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers of children aged 1 year old identified dental caries at initial and established/severe stages. Mothers of children aged 2 and 3 years identified dental caries only at established/severe stages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Centro, Diamantina, MG, 39100000, Brazil. bellahfernandes@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Centro, Diamantina, MG, 39100000, Brazil.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sá-Pinto
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Centro, Diamantina, MG, 39100000, Brazil.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silva Marques
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Rua Professor Moacir Gomes de Freitas, 688, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramos-Jorge
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Centro, Diamantina, MG, 39100000, Brazil.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ramos-Jorge
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Dental caries; Epidemiology; Infant; Mothers