Maternal age at birth and other risk factors in early childhood caries.

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to identify the impact of mother's age and other child care practices on the children's oral health.

METHODS

The study consisted of 646 mother-child pairs who participated in the community oral health program at 1.5 and 3 years old. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic data, household environment, dietary habits, and oral hygiene practices. Oral examination was carried out by skilled pediatric dentists. Plaque samples taken from the buccal surface of maxillary molars from both child and mother pairs were assessed using Cariostat. T test and logistic regression models were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Caries occurrence was associated with the following: mother's age at childbirth, specifically at 22 years old and younger (odds ratio [OR] = 3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85-4.92, P < .001); frequency of between meal snacks of more than 4 times/day (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.09-5.91, P = .03); and child's caries activity test score at 1.5-year-old equal to or greater than +1.5 (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.48-2.99, P = .002).

CONCLUSION

The mother's age at childbirth, high-risk caries activity test scores at an earlier age, and frequency of snacking were found to be important early childhood caries risk factors.