Association between family structure and oral health of children with mixed dentition in suburban Nigeria.

CONTEXT: Family structures can affect the oral health of the child. However, little is known about the impact of the family structure on oral health of children in Africa.

AIMS: To determine the association between family structure, twice daily toothbrushing, use of fluoridated toothpaste, caries, and oral hygiene status of 5-12-year-old children resident in semi-urban Nigeria.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Secondary analysis of the data of 601 children recruited through a household survey conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The association between dependent variables (presence of caries, good oral hygiene, use of fluoridated toothpaste, and twice daily toothbrushing) and the family structure (parental structure, number of siblings, and birth rank) was determined.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Simple and multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the association. The regression models were adjusted for age and gender.

RESULTS: Children who were not primogenitor had significantly reduced odds of using fluoridated toothpaste (AOR: 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.97; P = 0.01) when compared with children who were primogenitors or only children. Furthermore, having 0-2 siblings significantly reduced the odds of having caries (AOR: 0.46; CI: 0.28-0.78; P < 0.001) when compared with children who had three or more siblings. Children who used fluoridated toothpaste had significantly increased odds of having good oral hygiene (AOR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.18-2.28; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: For this study population, the number of siblings and the birth rank increased the chances of having caries and use of fluoridated toothpaste, respectively.