Caries
Erin Kallsen, DDS
Pediatric Dental Resident, PGY-2
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Wexford, Pennsylvania, United States
Karin Weber-Gasparoni, DDS, MS, PhD
The University of Iowa
Fang Qian, PhD
University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Nilesh Shah, PhD
The University of Pittsburgh
Adriana Modesto, DDS, DMD, MS, PhD
Professor
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Deborah Studen-Pavlovich, DMD
Professor, Interim Chair, Graduate Program Director
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Objectives: In medical literature, parental language barrier has been linked to poorer clinician-patient relationships, adherence to treatment protocols, and inhibition of understanding chronic disease. The primary goal of this study was to assess if parental language barrier was associated with caries-risk factors, dietary, and oral hygiene habits in low-income children aged 12-60 months enrolled in the University of Iowa’s Infant Oral Health Program (IOHP).
Methods: The charts of children enrolled in the IOHP were reviewed for a cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the child’s baseline health history, clinical exam, and caries-risk assessment forms. Descriptive, bivariate, and logistical regression analyses were performed (alpha=0.05) to explore caries-risk factors associated with parental language barrier.
Results: 1,846 (51% female) children met inclusion criteria (mean age=26.1±12.6 months). Bivariate analysis revealed an association with parental language barrier and demographic, dietary, oral hygiene, and caries-risk factors. Children whose parents had a language barrier were more likely to have a caregiver with low dental health literacy (p <.001), nighttime on-demanding breastfeeding (p <.001), cavitated lesions (p=.003), noncavitated lesions (p <.001), enamel defects ( p=.003), poor oral hygiene (p <.001), high caries-risk (p <.001), and return to the WIC clinic for multiple visits (p <.001). Logistic regression revealed presence of a parental language barrier made a child more likely to be classified as high caries-risk (OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.17-2.04; p=.002).
Conclusions: Parental language barrier was associated with dietary, oral hygiene habits, and caries-risk factors. Parental language barrier made a child 1.54 times more likely to be classified as high caries-risk.