Association between dental caries experience and sense of coherence among adolescents and mothers
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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Carolina Freitas Lage1, Livia Bonfim Fulgencio1, Patricia Corrêa-Faria2
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Background:
Sense of coherence (SOC) is associated with oral health.
Aim:
Investigate associations between dental caries experience and SOC among mothers and adolescents.
Design:
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1195 adolescents and their mothers. Data were collected through a questionnaire, the short version of the SOC and oral clinical examinations. The data were statistically analyzed using bivariate analysis, Poisson regression models with robust variance, and Spearman's correlation coefficient.
Results:
The prevalence of dental caries experience was 41.8%. A moderate correlation was found between the SOC of mothers and adolescents (r = 0.563; P < 0.001). A higher mother's SOC (PR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.36-0.53) and adolescent's SOC (PR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.39-0.55) were protective factors against dental caries experience in the adolescents. The prevalence of dental caries experience was higher among adolescents with visible plaque (Model 1-PR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.53-2.04; Model 2-PR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.37-1.84) and those whose families were in a lower economic class (Model 1-PR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.35-1.80; Model 2-PR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.36-1.81).
Conclusion:
Dental caries in adolescents was associated with social determinants evaluated through the sense of coherence.
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