Zaborskis Apolinaras, Kavaliauskienė Aistė, Razmienė Jaunė, Razmaitė Augustė, Andruškevičienė Vilija, Narbutaitė Julija, Bendoraitienė Eglė Aida
Department of Preventive Medicine & Health Research Institute, Faculty of Public Health, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
Dent J (Basel). 2025 May 2;13(5):205. doi: 10.3390/dj13050205.
: Parental attitudes play a crucial role in shaping children's oral health habits and preventing dental diseases. This study aimed to explore the theoretical pathways through which parental behavior and attitudes toward child oral health can influence the dental caries experience as measured by the dmf-t index in preschool children in Lithuania. : A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 302 children aged 4-7 years and their parents (262 mothers). Parental attitudes were assessed using the Parental Attitudes Towards Child Oral Health (PACOH) scale. For the children, the following variables were considered: sex, age, dental caries experience (dmf-t index in the primary dentition), oral hygiene index (Silness-Löe Plaque Index), toothbrushing frequency, and parental assistance with toothbrushing. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied for the data analysis. : The main path through which parental attitudes towards child oral health influenced the dmf-t index was via toothbrushing frequency (β = -0.17) or parental assistance with toothbrushing (β = 0.24). These factors were then linked to the oral hygiene index (β = 0.20 and β = -0.47, respectively), which ultimately influenced dmf-t (β = 0.52). The parents' attitudes and toothbrushing frequency per se had no significant effect on children's dmf-t (β = -0.06 and β = -0.04, respectively). The final model met all goodness-of-fit criteria: Chi-square test = 0.211, Incremental Fit Index IFI = 0.994, Tucker-Lewis Index TLI = 0.982, Comparative Fit Index CFI = 0.994, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation RMSEA = 0.038. : Findings from this study demonstrate that parents play a significant role in determining children's oral health. Regular toothbrushing, parental assistance with toothbrushing, and good oral hygiene are critical factors linking parents' oral health-related attitudes to a child's experience of early caries. Identifying the associations between dental caries risk factors helps plan interventions.
父母的态度在塑造孩子的口腔健康习惯和预防牙齿疾病方面起着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在探索理论途径，通过这些途径，父母对孩子口腔健康的行为和态度能够影响立陶宛学龄前儿童的龋齿经历，该经历通过乳牙龋失补牙面数（dmf-t）指数来衡量。
开展了一项横断面研究，涉及302名4至7岁的儿童及其父母（262名母亲）。使用父母对儿童口腔健康的态度（PACOH）量表评估父母的态度。对于儿童，考虑了以下变量：性别、年龄、龋齿经历（乳牙列的dmf-t指数）、口腔卫生指数（Silness-Löe菌斑指数）、刷牙频率以及父母协助刷牙的情况。采用结构方程模型（SEM）进行数据分析。
父母对孩子口腔健康的态度影响dmf-t指数的主要途径是通过刷牙频率（β = -0.17）或父母协助刷牙（β = 0.24）。这些因素随后与口腔卫生指数相关联（分别为β = 0.20和β = -0.47），最终影响dmf-t（β = 0.52）。父母的态度和刷牙频率本身对孩子的dmf-t没有显著影响（分别为β = -0.06和β = -0.04）。最终模型符合所有拟合优度标准：卡方检验 = 0.211，增值拟合指数IFI = 0.994，塔克-刘易斯指数TLI = 0.982，比较拟合指数CFI = 0.994，近似误差均方根RMSEA = 0.038。
本研究结果表明，父母在决定孩子的口腔健康方面起着重要作用。定期刷牙、父母协助刷牙以及良好的口腔卫生是将父母与口腔健康相关的态度与孩子早期龋齿经历联系起来的关键因素。识别龋齿风险因素之间的关联有助于规划干预措施。
