Is there an association between maternal factors and the development of early childhood caries?

To assess the possible associations between the following characteristics/behavior of the mother: oral health, oral hygiene, smoking habits, diet, food insecurity, stress, employment, marital status, household income and size and insurance status, with the development of dental caries in their children up to 3 years old.

Pregnant women aged 18 years or more who delivered at term and whose children had regular dental check-ups were enrolled in a longitudinal study. Oral health status of participants was assessed at enrollment, 2 months and annually thereafter. Sociodemographic characteristics and mothers' behaviors were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews.

By the three-year visit, 6% of the children had 1 or more cavitated dentine caries lesions. Maternal education and state of residence increased the chances of the child presenting with a caries lesion by the age of three, in addition to influencing the magnitude of the associations detected with other variables. Mothers' prior pregnancies, maternal cigarette smoking, household income and untreated dental decay were also significantly related to childhood caries.

Sociodemographic variables were shown to have an important influence on the development of early childhood caries, highlighting the need of addressing structural problems that limit the availability of dental care and healthy foods.