Maternal knowledge and oral health status in relation to the oral health status of children

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Children’s oral health is a crucial aspect of their overall well-being and is significantly influenced by their caregivers, particularly their mothers. This study aims to investigate the relationship between maternal knowledge and the oral health status of children aged 4 to 12 years. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 86 mother-child pairs from local health centers and the College of Dentistry at the University of Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Structured questionnaires were used to measure maternal oral health knowledge and attitudes, and a clinical examination was conducted to assess the gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and dental caries decay, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) in mothers and their children using World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The results are intended to test the hypothesis that mothers’ oral health and knowledge are associated with their children’s oral condition. RESULTS: Linear regression and correlation analyses were used to identify relationships between maternal and child DMFT/dmft, PI, and GI indices. Results indicated significant predictive relationships (R² = 0.07, p = 0.023) between maternal and child DMFT/dmft, PI (R² = 0.161, p = 0.007), and GI (R² = 0.201, p < 0.001). A highly significant association was found between correct answers on the mother questionnaire: mothers with higher educational levels demonstrated greater dental knowledge than those with lower levels, as confirmed by the chi-square test. CONCLUSIONS: By highlighting the mother’s involvement in encouraging their children to adopt preventive dental practices, they can ultimately help reduce the prevalence of oral disease in the area through supporting specialized oral health education activities. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oral hygiene screening and evaluation of mothers’ dental knowledge in Sulaimani city, in the Kurdistan region, may help improve children’s behavior and facilitate the prevention and management of oral disease.