Influential factors of dental caries prevention and treatment of young children in Shanggang steel community in Pudong New District / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To identify confounding factors associated with dental caries prevention, as the basis for the development of subsequent health management plan for dental caries prevention in young children.@*Methods@#From June to September 2019, a questionnaire survey was conducted among parents of young children enrolled in five kindergartens in the district of Shanggang Steel Community, Pudong New District, Shanghai, using the convenience sampling method. The survey included basic demographic characteristics on parents and children, as well as information factor, motivation factor, behavioral skills, and caries prevention behavior.@*Results@#Among 718 parents surveyed, the median information factor score was 8 (7, 9), the median personal motivation factor score was 20 (19, 20), the median social motivation factor score was 9 (8, 10), the median behavioral skills score was 25 (24, 25), and the median caries prevention behavior score was 7 (5, 8). Motivation factor was positively associated with behavioral skills, both information factor and behavioral skills were positively associated with dental caries prevention (P<0.05). Personal motivation factor had a direct influence factor of 0.80 on behavioral skills and an indirect influence factor of 0.15 on dental caries prevention behavior; behavioral skills and information factor had a direct influence factor of 0.19 and 0.26 respectively on dental caries prevention.@*Conclusion@#The finding suggest that in addition to oral hygiene information and education for parents of young children, mental support should be a key component of any community-based dental caries prevention program.