The Impact of Parent-Child Relationships on Dental Caries, Gingivitis and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children

Abstract

Oral conditions affect 3.9 billion people worldwide with dental caries and periodontal diseases being among the ten most prevalent conditions. Untreated caries in permanent and deciduous dentitions are reported among approximately 35% and 9% of the world population respectively (Kassebaum et al. 2015). The importance of various social, environmental and behavioural factors on oral health and diseases have been confirmed by past research (Petersen et al. 2005). In children, a wide range of family characteristics also play a major role in shaping their oral health (Fisher-Owens et al. 2007). However, most of the past and current research on children’s oral health has focussed on social-behavioural and environmental factors, whereas the family circumstances with the most potential to have the most proximal impacts on children have not been adequately addressed. In particular, there has been scarce research on the influence of parenting practices on oral health outcomes, despite the fact that these practices have been found to significantly affect other health-related behaviours in children, such as physical activity and dietary practices (Savage et al. 2007). Moreover, oral health-related practices may serve as a mediator linking parenting practices to children's oral health outcomes, but this has never been investigated. In order to understand the role of parenting on oral health practices and outcomes, this thesis explored the impact of parenting practices on dental caries, gingivitis and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) within a comprehensive model of several individual and family-related variables.