Sharma Shreela V, Deason Jeanette E, Wang Mengxi, Garcia-Quintana Alejandra, Chuang Ru-Jye, Johnson Kila, Garner Shalisa, Kelder Steven, Yamal Jose-Miguel
Center for Health Equity, Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Mar 27;22(4):513. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22040513.
Improving children's oral health is a national priority. Parental knowledge and self-efficacy influence children's health behaviors; however, the relationship between parental oral health-related knowledge, self-efficacy, child oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL), and dental caries remains unclear, especially among low-income, ethnically diverse U.S. families. This study assesses the relationship between parental oral health-related knowledge, self-efficacy, child dental caries, and OHQoL. This cross-sectional seco ndary analysis uses baseline data from a school-based cluster-randomized controlled trial among children (kindergarten-second grade). Dental assessments were conducted using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) on site in schools at baseline (n = 34 schools, n = 1084 consenting parent-child dyads). Child OHQoL, parental knowledge, and self-efficacy were measured using validated self-report surveys. Associations between exposures and outcomes (child dental caries prevalence, child OHQoL) were evaluated by univariate and multivariable logistic and linear regressions, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, higher parental self-efficacy was associated with lower child OHQoL (lower score indicates higher quality of life) [beta = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.24, -0.09, < 0.01] and lower odds of active dental caries [Adj OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.9, 0.99, = 0.02]. No significant associations were noted for parental knowledge. These findings can inform future research, understanding how parental psychosocial factors influence dental caries prevention behaviors and risk, and inform interventions for children.
改善儿童口腔健康是一项国家优先事项。父母的知识和自我效能会影响儿童的健康行为；然而，父母的口腔健康相关知识、自我效能、儿童口腔健康相关生活质量（OHQoL）与龋齿之间的关系仍不明确，尤其是在低收入、种族多样的美国家庭中。本研究评估了父母的口腔健康相关知识、自我效能、儿童龋齿与OHQoL之间的关系。这项横断面二次分析使用了一项针对儿童（幼儿园至二年级）的基于学校的整群随机对照试验的基线数据。在基线时，在学校现场使用国际龋病检测与评估系统（ICDAS）进行牙齿评估（n = 34所学校，n = 1084对同意参与的亲子二元组）。使用经过验证的自我报告调查来测量儿童的OHQoL、父母的知识和自我效能。分别通过单变量和多变量逻辑回归及线性回归评估暴露因素与结局（儿童龋齿患病率、儿童OHQoL）之间的关联。在对协变量进行调整后，较高的父母自我效能与较低的儿童OHQoL相关（分数越低表明生活质量越高）[β = -0.16，95%置信区间：-0.24，-0.09，P < 0.01]，且活动性龋齿的几率较低[调整后的比值比：0.95，95%置信区间：0.9，0.99，P = 0.02]。未发现父母知识与上述因素之间存在显著关联。这些发现可为未来的研究提供参考，帮助理解父母的心理社会因素如何影响龋齿预防行为和风险，并为针对儿童的干预措施提供参考。
