Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support

Abstract Background Caries burden in children disproportionately affects minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Severe early childhood caries requiring general anesthesia (GA) is a significant concern, with high caries relapse rates in subsequent years. Aim To examine associations...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ida Brännemo, Anna Levinsson, Tove Hasselblad, Göran Dahllöf, Georgios Tsilingaridis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Oral Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05446-z
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832594376780414976
author Ida Brännemo
Anna Levinsson
Tove Hasselblad
Göran Dahllöf
Georgios Tsilingaridis
author_facet Ida Brännemo
Anna Levinsson
Tove Hasselblad
Göran Dahllöf
Georgios Tsilingaridis
author_sort Ida Brännemo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Caries burden in children disproportionately affects minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Severe early childhood caries requiring general anesthesia (GA) is a significant concern, with high caries relapse rates in subsequent years. Aim To examine associations between parental psychosocial factors, children’s caries burden, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), including group differences, following a phone-based parental support intervention for children treated under GA for severe Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Methods Data were collected during a randomized controlled trial examining a phone-based parental support program. Parental stress was assessed using the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ), dental fear was measured with the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and dental attitudes were evaluated using the Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS-R). Children’s OHRQoL was assessed using the Parental-Caregivers Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and the Family Impact Scale (FIS). The Total Observed Caries Experience index was used to calculate the child’s cumulative caries burden. Unadjusted analyses were performed using t-tests, with effect sizes calculated as Cohen’s d. A two-step path analysis examined how parental factors, intervention, and baseline caries influenced caries burden at a one-year follow-up, while also assessing caries burdens impact on children's well-being. Results At the one-year follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated significantly improved OHRQoL with lower mean scores on the P-CPQ and FIS compared to the control group, indicating fewer oral health issues and less impact on family life. No statistical differences were found in parental stress, dental fears, or dental beliefs between groups. Path analysis identified baseline caries and treatment group as significant predictors of caries burden, while intervention group predicted better OHRQoL outcomes. The model explained 86.2% of caries burden variance and 12.9% of OHRQoL variance. Conclusion A phone-based parental support program significantly improved children’s OHRQoL, even with a higher caries burden in the intervention group at the one-year follow-up. Parental stress, dental fears, and attitudes showed no differences and did not predict caries burden. Preventing early childhood caries in high-risk groups remains challenging, highlighting the importance of preventive initiatives that empower parents and foster collaboration with key stakeholders to reduce severe ECC. Registered at  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ Identifier: NCT02487043.
format Article
id doaj-art-e80d3e98eef54fb4bb8cb47457b97b16
institution Kabale University
issn 1472-6831
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Oral Health
spelling doaj-art-e80d3e98eef54fb4bb8cb47457b97b162025-01-19T12:41:24ZengBMCBMC Oral Health1472-68312025-01-0125111310.1186/s12903-025-05446-zParental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based supportIda Brännemo0Anna Levinsson1Tove Hasselblad2Göran Dahllöf3Georgios Tsilingaridis4Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska InstitutetDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill UniversityDivision of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska InstitutetDivision of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska InstitutetDivision of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska InstitutetAbstract Background Caries burden in children disproportionately affects minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Severe early childhood caries requiring general anesthesia (GA) is a significant concern, with high caries relapse rates in subsequent years. Aim To examine associations between parental psychosocial factors, children’s caries burden, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), including group differences, following a phone-based parental support intervention for children treated under GA for severe Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Methods Data were collected during a randomized controlled trial examining a phone-based parental support program. Parental stress was assessed using the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ), dental fear was measured with the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and dental attitudes were evaluated using the Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS-R). Children’s OHRQoL was assessed using the Parental-Caregivers Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and the Family Impact Scale (FIS). The Total Observed Caries Experience index was used to calculate the child’s cumulative caries burden. Unadjusted analyses were performed using t-tests, with effect sizes calculated as Cohen’s d. A two-step path analysis examined how parental factors, intervention, and baseline caries influenced caries burden at a one-year follow-up, while also assessing caries burdens impact on children's well-being. Results At the one-year follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated significantly improved OHRQoL with lower mean scores on the P-CPQ and FIS compared to the control group, indicating fewer oral health issues and less impact on family life. No statistical differences were found in parental stress, dental fears, or dental beliefs between groups. Path analysis identified baseline caries and treatment group as significant predictors of caries burden, while intervention group predicted better OHRQoL outcomes. The model explained 86.2% of caries burden variance and 12.9% of OHRQoL variance. Conclusion A phone-based parental support program significantly improved children’s OHRQoL, even with a higher caries burden in the intervention group at the one-year follow-up. Parental stress, dental fears, and attitudes showed no differences and did not predict caries burden. Preventing early childhood caries in high-risk groups remains challenging, highlighting the importance of preventive initiatives that empower parents and foster collaboration with key stakeholders to reduce severe ECC. Registered at  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ Identifier: NCT02487043.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05446-zEarly childhood cariesGeneral anesthesiaHealth inequityParental support programsPrevention
spellingShingle Ida Brännemo
Anna Levinsson
Tove Hasselblad
Göran Dahllöf
Georgios Tsilingaridis
Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
BMC Oral Health
Early childhood caries
General anesthesia
Health inequity
Parental support programs
Prevention
title Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
title_full Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
title_fullStr Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
title_full_unstemmed Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
title_short Parental psychosocial factors and children’s oral health-related quality of life: Data from a caries prevention study with phone-based support
title_sort parental psychosocial factors and children s oral health related quality of life data from a caries prevention study with phone based support
topic Early childhood caries
General anesthesia
Health inequity
Parental support programs
Prevention
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05446-z
work_keys_str_mv AT idabrannemo parentalpsychosocialfactorsandchildrensoralhealthrelatedqualityoflifedatafromacariespreventionstudywithphonebasedsupport
AT annalevinsson parentalpsychosocialfactorsandchildrensoralhealthrelatedqualityoflifedatafromacariespreventionstudywithphonebasedsupport
AT tovehasselblad parentalpsychosocialfactorsandchildrensoralhealthrelatedqualityoflifedatafromacariespreventionstudywithphonebasedsupport
AT gorandahllof parentalpsychosocialfactorsandchildrensoralhealthrelatedqualityoflifedatafromacariespreventionstudywithphonebasedsupport
AT georgiostsilingaridis parentalpsychosocialfactorsandchildrensoralhealthrelatedqualityoflifedatafromacariespreventionstudywithphonebasedsupport