Parenting practices and children's dental caries experience: A structural equation modelling approach.

AIM: To evaluate the direct and mediated associations between parenting practices and dental caries experience in Indian school children.

METHODS: The target population consisted of school children and their parents (N=1539) of Medak district in the state of Telangana, India. Parents completed a questionnaire that consisted of questions related to socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, the number of children, their own oral hygiene behaviour and parenting practices. Parenting practices were assessed using a translated version of the short form of Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) which was found to have two factors, power assertion (ie over control and coercion) and positive parenting (warmth and positive parent-child interaction). Children completed a questionnaire on tooth brushing frequency, dental visiting and sugar consumption practices to evaluate their oral hygiene behaviour, and underwent a clinical examination for dental caries by a single examiner. Path analysis was used to explore the influence of parent-child relationship, SES and other family-level variables on dental caries experience of children.

RESULTS: Parents' oral hygiene behaviour was positively (β=0.18, P=0.009), and power assertion negatively (β=-0.06, P=0.041) associated with children's oral hygiene behaviours. Families reporting higher SES had children with less dental caries experience (β=-0.10, P=0.028) and better oral hygiene behaviour (β=0.13, P=0.009). Power assertion parenting had an indirect association with dental caries experience (β=0.003, P=0.038).

CONCLUSIONS: Children had higher dental caries experience when they lived in families with lower SES and used more power assertion parenting practices.