ORAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF MOTHERS AND DENTAL CARIES IN CHILDREN FROM MULTICULTURAL FAMILIES

Lee, Hye-Lim; Lee, Kwang-Hee; La, Ji-Young; An, So-Youn; Kim, Yun-Hee

Journal of the Korean Academy of Pediatric Dentistry 2012;39(2):111-119.
Published online May 31, 2012.

ORAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF MOTHERS AND DENTAL CARIES IN CHILDREN FROM MULTICULTURAL FAMILIES

Hye-Lim Lee, Kwang-Hee Lee, Ji-Young La, So-Youn An, Yun-Hee Kim

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Wonkwang University

다문화가족 어머니의 구강건강행동과 자녀의 치아우식경험에 관한 연구

이혜림, 이광희, 라지영, 안소연, 김윤희

원광대학교 치과대학 소아치과학교실

Correspondence: Kwang-Hee Lee, Tel: 018-618-6562, Email: kwhlee@wonkwang.ac.kr

Received: 20 January 2012 • Accepted: 3 May 2012

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to evaluate oral health status of children in multicultural families and compare oral health behaviors of multicultural mothers with those of ordinary Korean families. The mothers' social characters, oral health behaviors and oral health status of children were investigated so that the data from this study can be utilized in developing programs for oral health care promotion especially designed for multicultural families. The subjects were 135 pairs of multicultural mothers and their children who participated in the community programs in suburban areas of Ik-san city and 168 pairs of ordinary Korean mothers and their children residing in Ik-san city. The results were as follows : 1. The dft index and dfs index of multicultural subjects were 4.17 and 6.67, respectively, while ordinary Korean subjects were found to have 2.69 and 4.63(p<0.05). 2. The frequency of tooth brushing per day of children from multicultural families was lower than that of children from ordinary Korean families(p <0.01). 3. The ratio of practice of oral health behaviors of mothers from multicultural families was lower than that of mothers from ordinary Korean families(p<0.01). Tooth brushing instructions were the most frequently carried out by multicultural mothers, which was followed by teaching the importance of oral health, restriction of carbohydrates, and dental check-ups. Significant correlations were not detected between mothers'oral health behaviors and children's dental caries experiences(p>0.05).

Key Words: Multicultural family, Children, Oral health behaviors, Dental caries