Influence of family structure and working status of the parents on the incidence of dental caries and oral habits in bengali children

Introduction: Oral habits are repetitive actions which are started and stopped spontaneously with or without deleterious effect on the developing occlusion. Dental caries can affect the physical and mental health of the child with adverse consequences on their families. Parents institutes healthy habits in their children which continue to shape the attitude and lifestyle they make as adults. There is limited focus on oral health and habits of the children in the contemporary scenario of both parents employed.
Aim: To correlate the family related factors, socioeconomic and working status of parents with the incidence of their children's dental caries and oral habits.
Material and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted to assess dental caries and oral deleterious habits status of Bengali children.153 children of age group 3-6 years were randomly selected. Socioeconomic status was evaluated using Kappuswamy's socioeconomic scale (SES), Dental caries using WHO criteria, Family structure, oral habit of the children, working status of the parents using questionnaire.
Results: Family size had significant association with deleterious oral habits and caries status of children. Working status of the mother was associated with caries status. Birth rank and number of siblings were associated with deleterious oral habits in children.