"Sweet" cultural background affects young children caries

If mom and dad have a short training or non-Western background, the risk of caries in children significantly higher than in average. It shows a new Norwegian study, published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.

In the study, 523 children by dental examination, while parents answering questions about socio-economic conditions and about their own dental habits. In the group of parents with non-western background and brief training had children, respectively, nine and twelve times greater risk of incipient caries in tooth enamel and bone. This is due to an excessive sugar intake and lacked regular brushing.

Non-Western background and brief training
"In the group parents with non-western background and brief training had children nine and 12 times as likely to have incipient caries in enamel and dentin. But the confidence intervals for these probabilities were quite large, ie. subject to some uncertainty - and one should also note that it is about 24 children out of a total 523, "says Dorthe Holst, professor of samfundsodontologi at Oslo University, adding:

"Evidence suggests that there is a 'sweet' and not too systematic toothbrush culture behind the numbers. Toddlers culture in some non-western families are different from what is now characterizes most of the Nordic. We also find high cariesaktivitet among Norwegian children, but rather it is a most assembly than a cultural challenge. Fortunately, studies of the same problem, among 14-16-year-old children and adolescents in Oslo, showed that the differences are erased. A good and respectful communication with the current risk families should be able to give good results. "

Read more in Tandlægebladet No. 4 2010 or www.tandlaegebladet.dk