Association between maternal oral health literacy and their preschoolers’ oral health outcomes in Muradnagar -A cross-sectional study

Aim: To assess the association between maternal oral health literacy and their preschoolers' oral health outcomes in Muradnagar. Materials and Method: Among the preschool children of Muradnagar, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the association between maternal oral health literacy and their preschoolers' oral health outcomes. The examiner for interviewing mothers and for the clinical examination of children was single trained calibrated. Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30) was used to measure maternal oral health literacy. Mother`s socio-demographic variables, oral health related knowledge and behavior was recorded using a structured questionnaire. Clinical examination of the children was done by using Visible biofilm index, Modified gingival index and WHO dentition status 2013. SPSS software version 18 was used for statistical analysis. Results: 48% of the children were males, among the 197 Mother/Child Pairs examined. REALD-30 scores and clinical oral health status of the child (p<0.05) showed a significant relationship. Conclusion: Maternal oral health literacy significantly modifies oral health status of their preschoolers.