Maternal factors and risk of early childhood caries: A prospective cohort study

To evaluate the associations between time-varying factors (mother's oral health, oral hygiene, smoking habits, diet, food insecurity and stress) socioeconomic factors (mother's employment, marital status, household income, insurance status, household size) and medical history on children's risk of developing a carious lesion in the first 3 years of life.

Longitudinal data from the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia Cohort Two (COHRA2) were analysed. Pregnant women ≥18 years in the USA were recruited during pregnancy; all consenting women delivering at term and their babies had regular dental assessments and complete in-person surveys and telephone interviews regarding sociodemographic factors, medical and dental history, and oral health behaviours.

In a logistic regression model adjusting for covariates, children whose mother had two or more prior pregnancies, smoked cigarettes post-partum, or had a recent unfilled carious lesion were at least twice as likely to experience a dental lesion by the three-year visit. The magnitude of these associations varied by maternal education and state of residence.

Untreated maternal decay but not maternal oral hygiene or diet were associated with cumulative risk of childhood caries by age three but were modified by maternal education and state of residence. Addressing structural and behavioural issues that reduce use of restorative dental care are needed to prevent the adverse impacts associated with early childhood caries.