Correlation between family members regarding oral hygiene and oral health

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the associations among spouses and their children regarding their oral hygiene, dental caries experience, periodontal status, and oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL). METHODS: The study population was households with a child attending grade 1 in primary school in Hong Kong. Selected schools in different districts participated. Visits to the students' homes were made. Clinical examinations were conducted by one calibrated examiner in which the oral hygiene, tooth, and periodontal status of the parents and the child were recorded. Validated Chinese version of the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) for adults and the early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) for children were used to measure OHQoL. Pearson's/Spearman's correlation and McNemar's test were used to assess the relationship between father's, mother's, and their child's oral health status and OHQoL. RESULT: In the 143 family visits, a total of 115 fathers, 140 mothers and 143 children were examined. The prevalence of caries experience among fathers, mothers and children were 86% (DMFT=4.5), 82% (DMFT=4.1) and 50% (dmft=2.3) respectively. No significant association was found among the DMFT/dmft scores of the spouses and their children. Positive correlations were found between the visible plaque index scores of the fathers and mothers (rho=0.19, p=0.04), as well as their maximum loss of periodontal attachment (rho=0.23, p=0.02). The OHIP scores of the fathers and mothers were not correlated (rho=0.15, p>0.05). The mean ECOHIS score was 17.7 and was positively correlated with the mother's OHIP score (rho=0.25, p<0.01) CONCLUSION: The preliminary results of this study show an association between the spouses regarding their oral hygiene status and loss of periodontal attachment. Mother's oral health-related quality of life also positively correlates with that of her child. Supported by the University of Hong Kong for the Public Health strategic research theme (grant account #00700026).