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. 2015 Apr;73(3):182-7.
doi: 10.3109/00016357.2014.976264. Epub 2014 Nov 11.

Does early establishment of favorable oral health behavior influence caries experience at age 5 years?

Tove I Wigen  1 , Nina J Wang
Affiliations

Does early establishment of favorable oral health behavior influence caries experience at age 5 years?

Tove I Wigen et al. Acta Odontol Scand. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose was to study associations between tooth brushing frequency, use of fluoride lozenges and consumption of sugary drinks at 1.5 years of age and having caries experience at 5 years of age.

Methods: This study was based on data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and by the Public Dental Services. A total of 1095 children were followed from pregnancy to the age of 5 years. Questionnaires regarding oral health behavior were completed by the parents at 1.5 and 5 years of age. Clinical and radiographic examination of the children was performed at the age of 5 years.

Results: In multiple logistic regression, having caries experience at 5 years of age was associated with; at 1.5 years of age having the teeth brushed less than twice daily (OR = 2.1, CI = 1.3-3.6) and being offered sugary drinks at least once a week (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.1-2.9) when controlled for family characteristics and oral health behavior at 5 years of age.

Conclusions: Tooth brushing frequency and consumption of sugary drinks in early childhood were related to caries development during pre-school age, independent of family characteristics and oral health behavior at 5 years of age. The results indicate that early established habits regarding tooth brushing and consumption of sugary drinks have long-term effects on caries development. Parents encountering difficulties in establishing favorable oral health behavior in children's first years of life should receive special attention from health personnel.

Keywords: MoBa; children; fluoride lozenges; tooth brushing frequency.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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