ArticlePloS one2019
The association between socioeconomic status, psychopathological symptom burden in mothers, and early childhood caries of their children.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on early-childhood-caries global data.BMC oral health · 2024Pooled it
- The relationship between parental mental health and early childhood caries: a meta-analysis and systematic review.BDJ open · 2026Article
- Maternal Psychological Well-Being and Caries Experience in 3-Year-Old Offspring: Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) Study.Caries research · 2026Article
- Cavities and Calories: Exploring the Relationship Between Early Childhood Caries and Body Mass Index.Cureus · 2025Article
- Connecting Caries to Cause: Unraveling the Impact of Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors on Early Childhood Caries.Cureus · 2025Article
- Impact of Marital Status, Education, and Family Size on Parental Behaviors Toward Early Childhood Caries in Romania.Dentistry journal · 2025Article
- Scoping review on the link between economic growth, decent work, and early childhood caries.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Iron Deficiency Anemia and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Global pediatric health · 2024Article
- Early Childhood Caries Is Causally Attributed to Developing Psychomotor Deficiency in Pre-School Children: The Resultant Covariate and Confounder Analyses in a Longitudinal Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Caries Experience and Increment in Children Attending Kindergartens with an Early Childhood Caries Preventive Program Compared to Basic Prophylaxis Measures-A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Microbiology-Based Instruction during Prenatal Dental Visits Improves Perinatal Oral Health Literacy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Socio-Economic Status May Associate Different Risk(s) with Early Childhood Caries (ECC) That Can Cause the Development of Psychomotor Deficiency in Preschool Children Aged 3-6 Years Old: The Results of Preliminary Analysis from a Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Children's Attitudes and Behaviors about Oral Health and Dental Practices.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- The Burden of Early Childhood Caries in Children under 5 Years Old in the European Union and Associated Risk Factors: An Ecological Study.Nutrients · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesVarious maternal mental disorders and socioeconomic status [SES] are discussed as risk factors for early childhood caries [ECC]. In our study, we examined a wide range of symptoms of mental disorders with the aim to identify those maternal psychopathological symptom burdens [PSBs] which show relevant associations with ECC. Our second objective was to investigate how SES affects the associations between PSB and ECC.
methodsIn this study, sixty children with ECC (caries group [CG]) and sixty caries-free children [NON-CG] with their mothers were recruited at two sites in Germany. Children aged three or four years were included in the study. Children's dental status [dmf-t] and plaque index were recorded, and mothers answered a multidimensional SES index (including education, profession and income) as well as screening questionnaires capturing dental anxiety, depressive disorders, generalized anxiety, somatic symptom burden, eating disorders, traumatic childhood experiences, nicotine dependency and alcohol dependency.
resultsMothers of the CG reported significantly higher dental anxiety (dCohen = 0.66), childhood trauma (dCohen = 0.53) and nicotine dependency (dCohen = 0.64) than the NON-CG. However, mediator analyses showed that these effects were partly mediated by the SES. Mothers of the CG had a significantly lower SES (dCohen = 0.93); with education as strongest predictor of dental status. The groups did not differ significantly in symptoms of depressiveness, subjective somatic symptom burden, alcohol dependency, eating disorders, and generalized anxiety.
conclusionsSeveral PSBs are associated with ECC, however the SES as the strongest influencing factor mediates this association. Difficult socioeconomic conditions might predispose for both, ECC and mental illness. Targeted strategies are needed to facilitate the use of preventive measures and dental health services especially in families of lower status. For this purpose, psychosocial risk constellations must be identified. More integrative, multifactorial oriented research is necessary to gain a bio-psycho-social understanding of ECC.
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