Association of maternal risk factors with early childhood caries in schoolchildren of Moradabad, India

Background. Children who have caries in their primary teeth in infancy or toddlerhood tend to develop dental caries in their permanent dentition. Although risk indicators are helpful in identifying groups at risk, they give little information about the causes of difference in caries experience. Aim. To identify the association between maternal risk factors and early childhood caries among 3- to 5-year-old schoolchildren of Moradabad City, Uttar Pradesh, India. Design. A total of 150 child-mother pairs participated in the study. The maternal risk factors were assessed by a pretested questionnaire. After obtaining the consent, the mothers and their children were clinically examined for dental caries using Radike criteria (1968). Saliva was collected from all the participating mothers for assessing the Streptococcus mutans level. Results. Significant differences were found in mothers' caries activity, high level of S. mutans, educational level, socioeconomic status, frequency of maternal sugar consumption, and their child's caries experience (P < 0.001). Conclusions. Differences between children's situations in these underlying factors play out as consequential disparities in both their health and the health care they receive.