113 - Relation between Parents’ Nutrition Knowledge and their Children’s Caries Status

Purpose: The aim of this study is to understand whether or not there is an association between parents’ knowledge of accepted nutritional guidelines and their preschooler children's oral health status. 

Methods: A nutritional knowledge survey was administered in-person to parents of 2-5 year olds presenting in the NYU Dentistry Pediatric Dental Clinic. Survey questions assessed parents’ knowledge of the cariogenic potential of specific foods, guidelines of daily snacking and sugar-sweetened-beverages and perception of feeding habits. The survey also contained questions screening for food security and parental supervision. A chart review of the pediatric subject was then completed to record the dmft (decayed, missing, filled teeth) score. 

Results: One-hundred parent-child pairs were recruited. There was a significant relationship between parents’ knowledge of consumption of sugar-sweetened-beverages at mealtimes and their child’s dmft score (P < .05). Additionally, there was a significant relationship between parents’ knowledge of cheese stick cariogenicity and their child’s dmft score (P < .05) after removing the potential of food supervision bias. No significant associations were found between parents’ knowledge of food cariogenicity and their child’s dmft score.

Conclusion: Overall, while our study showed no statistical significance between parents’ food cariogenicity knowledge and their children’s dmft, there is still a lack of understanding amongst the parents and their knowledge of food cariogenic potential. This highlights the need for more education for parents as it relates to nutrition and oral health, particularly as it relates to timing of beverage consumption (i.e. between meals or during meals).

Identify Supporting Agency and Grant Number: N/A