Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2026

Impact of Common Fruit Juices and Toothbrushing on the Discoloration of Primary Teeth
Published on: March 27, 2026
Parental Cognition Regarding Children's Sugar Consumption and Its Implications for Dental Caries Prevention: A
Areena Tahir1, Esther García-Miralles1, Juan Ignacio Aura-Tormos1
1Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Universitat de València, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
Background/Objectives:
Parental perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge may influence children's sugar exposure, but these cognitive constructs are distinct from children's actual intake. This review synthesised parental cognition regarding children's sugar consumption and secondarily examined its relationship with reported or measured intake and implications for caries prevention.
Methods:
PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for primary studies published from January 2016 to April 2026. Study selection and narrative synthesis followed PRISMA 2020.
Results:
We included 35 studies from ten countries: 19 cross-sectional, 6 qualitative, 4 experimental/randomised, 2 pre-post, 1 longitudinal, and 3 other survey-based or mixed-design studies. Misperceptions of product healthfulness and limited knowledge of sugar content were common. Associations between cognition and children's intake were inconsistent; parental modelling, household availability, cultural norms, and commercial influences were also associated with sugar exposure. Most evidence was observational, measures were heterogeneous, and no study measured dental caries directly.
Conclusions:
Parental cognition is relevant but insufficient on its own to explain children's sugar exposure. Caries-preventive counselling should combine factual education with attention to caregiver behaviour and the home food environment.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
Self-Regulation
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Carbohydrates: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...