Relationship of Oral Health Literacy with Dental Caries and Oral Health Behavior of Children and Their Parents

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the relationship of oral health literacy (OHL) of parents with the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) indices of themselves and their children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 258 children presenting with their parents to the Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Departments of School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2016. The parents were asked to fill out questionnaires related to OHL, oral health behaviors, and background information. Both parents and children were clinically examined to determine their DMFT indices according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. A backward linear regression model was applied to assess the effect of demographic factors on OHL, behavioral habits, and DMFT. The Pearson’s bivariate correlation was used to assess the relationship of OHL, behavioral habits, and DMFT. RESULTS: A significant linear correlation was noted between the OHL of the parents and the number of filled teeth in children (P=0.01). Only 48.5% of the parents had adequate OHL. Children whose parents had adequate OHL had a significantly higher number of fillings (P=0.03) and fewer missing teeth (P=0.04). Children whose parents had inadequate or marginal OHL had a significantly lower number of fillings (P=0.01) and more missing teeth (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Higher OHL of parents seems to be significantly related to the mean DMFT of themselves and their children and enhances their oral health behavior. Programs must be implemented in developing countries, including Iran, to promote the OHL of parents and consequently improve the oral health status of children.