Caregiver's education level and child's dental caries in African Americans: a path analytic study.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of caregiver education level on children's dental caries mediated by both caregiver and child oral health behaviors. Participants were 423 low-income African American kindergarteners and their caregivers who were part of a school-based randomized clinical trial. Path analysis tested the hypothesis that caregiver education level affected untreated dental caries and cumulative overall caries experience (decayed or filled teeth) through the mediating influence of frequency of dental visits, use of routine care, and frequency of toothbrushing for both the caregiver and the child. The results supported the hypothesis: caregivers who completed high school were 1.76 times more likely to visit dentists compared with those who did not com

SUBMITTER: Heima M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4487639 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature