Are resilience and maternal sense of coherence associated with gingival status in adolescents from low-income families?

Abstract

Background: The capacity to overcome social disadvantages and maintain oral health through psychosocial processes remains poorly understood in children.

Aim: This study assessed the relationship of children's resilience and maternal sense of coherence (SOC) with gingival status in children from low-income families.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 190 schoolchildren aged 11-12 years and their mothers. Family socioeconomic characteristics and housing conditions, maternal and children's oral cleanliness behaviours (tooth brushing and dental floss use), maternal SOC, children's resilience, and demographic data were collected through interviews with children and their mothers. Validated versions of Antonovsky's scale and the resilience scale were used to assess mother's SOC and children's resilience. Gingival status and dental plaque of children were evaluated through clinical examinations using bleeding on probing index and plaque index. Statistical analysis included Pearson's correlation and hierarchical multinomial ordinal logistic regression analyses.

Results: The mean frequency of gingival bleeding in the sample was 8.4% (SD: 8.5). Children with higher levels of resilience showed 31% lower odds of gingival bleeding (OR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.4-0.9) after adjustment for socioeconomic characteristics, children's and mothers' use of dental floss.

Conclusions: Children's resilience was a psychosocial factor associated with gingival conditions.

Keywords: children; gingival status; oral health; resilience.