Maternal anxiety, social status, and dental caries formation in children: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the association of maternal anxiety and social status with caries formation in children. METHODS: Participants comprised 258 pairs of children and their mothers. We collected information regarding age, sex, birth order of children, and mothers’ education and marital status using a questionnaire. The Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to determine maternal trait anxiety levels. The children underwent oral examination. Total values for decayed, missing, filled, and total permanent/primary teeth (DMFT/dmft) were evaluated according to standards of the World Health Organization. RESULTS: No significant relationship was found between the mother's anxiety level and DMFT/dmft scores in their children. A negative correlation was observed between the child’s age and dental caries in children. The sex of the child, mother's education level, and marital status of the mother showed a weak negative correlation with the number of dental caries observed in their children. CONCLUSION: Although social, economic, and environmental factors might contribute substantially to the development of dental caries, we failed to demonstrate a clear relationship between maternal anxiety and social status and dental caries in children. We can therefore conclude that biological factors are decisive in the formation of dental caries among children.