Influences of diet on caries activities and caries-risk grouping in children, and changes in parenting behavior

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dental caries incidence in early childhood is known to influenced by the behavior of parent with their children, and clinicians and dental staff are advised to provide parents with effective oral health instructions. The objectives of this study were to identify the influence of diet of 18- and 24-month-old children on caries activities and investigate changes related to the behavior of their parents after receiving health instructions regarding caries risk for 2-year-old children. METHODS: The subjects were 1,206 child-parent pairs. The children participated in 18-, 24-, and 42-month-old health examinations at Kurashiki City Public Health Center in Kurashiki City, Japan. Cariostat, a caries activity test (Dentsply-Sankin Co., Tokyo), was conducted and the children were then classified into 6 caries-risk groups based on the 42-month-old predictive cutoff points. Their parents were given oral health instructions on caries prevention by dental hygienists of the Kurashiki City Public Health Center. In addition, a questionnaire regarding diet was given to identify its influence on caries activities in 18- and 24-month-old caries activities in 18- and 24-month-old children, as well as the influence of changes in parenting behavior. RESULTS: A significant number of children in the high-risk group received breast feeding or bottle-feeding with liquids other than water at 18 months of age. Also total time for sucrose-containing food intake was significantly associated with increased caries activity at 18 months of age. After giving oral health instructions to parents of the 18-month-old children dietary habits significantly correlated with the high-risk group at 24 months of age were breast feeding or bottle-feeding with liquid other than water, total intake time of sucrose-containing food, and frequency of sucrose-containing foods intake. Furthermore, parents whose children were in the higher caries-risk group at 18 months of age showed a lower level of change in parenting behavior as compared to those with children in the lower caries-risk group. CONCLUSION: It is important to assess problematic dietary habits in accordance with caries-risk in young children and change parent behavior through effective oral health instructions. CLINICAL IMPLICATION: Clinicians can identify problematic dietary habits in children based on caries-risk and provide effective oral health instructions to parents, which may influence.