Dental caries is a complex multifactorial disease that is strongly related to and influenced by the children's dietary habits, sugar intake, salivary flow, salivary fluoride level, and preventive behaviors. Based on the literature, other factors can affect child dental caries including the influence of social factors, such as the family environment. To avoid suffering from dental caries, preventive oral hygiene practices beginning in childhood are crucial. However, parents are the primary providers of oral health care for their children and they generally play a pivotal role in the overall health and oral health of both children and adolescents. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of maternal mental health in the form of depression, anxiety, or stress and their perceived social support on the oral health status and OHRQoL of their children.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
262
Interview-based questionnaires will be conducted among Egyptian mothers attending Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health outpatient clinic at Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University by the principal investigator. Clinical examination of the oral health status of their preschool children aged 3-5 years will be conducted by the principal investigator.
Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University
Cairo, Egypt
The presence of maternal mental issue in the form of depression, anxiety, or stress
The mental health of Egyptian mothers is assessed through the validated Arabic form of the depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21).
Time frame: 1 year
The caries experience of their children (aged 3-5 years)
Dental caries experience is estimated by calculating the three components (decayed, missed, and filled) of the dmft index for primary teeth according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Time frame: 1 year
The oral hygiene status of their children (aged 3-5 years)
Oral hygiene is assessed by the debris component of the modified form of Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) that can be used for deciduous teeth.
Time frame: 1 year
Oral health-related quality of life of their children
A validated Arabic version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) is used to examine mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
Time frame: 1 year
The perceived social support of Egyptian mothers
The perceived social support of Egyptian mothers is assessed by the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (Arabic- MSPSS).
Time frame: 1 year
The oral health-related behaviors of their children
Egyptian mothers are asked five questions about their children's snacking habit, frequency of tooth brushing, brushing with or without adult assistance, and dental visit utilization and pattern. These questions were adopted from previous similar studies in English and then were translated into Arabic.
Time frame: 1 year
The perception of Egyptian mothers about the dental health status of their children
Participants are asked to rate the dental health status of their children on a 5-point scale from 'very good' to 'very poor'.
Time frame: 1 year
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