Objectives Investigations concerning the relationship between socioeconomic status and dental caries have been conducted mainly in Western countries. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the impact of socioeconomic factors, such as maternal occupation, household income, and parental educational levels, on the risk of dental caries in young Japanese children.
Methods A cohort of 315 preschool children was used. Information pertaining to exposure and potentially confounding factors was obtained by means of questionnaires administered to expectant mothers prior to delivery and subsequently when their children were in the ranges of 2-9, 16-24, 29-39, and 41-49 months of age. Outcome data were collected when the children were between 41 and 50 months old. Children were classified as having dental caries if one or more primary teeth had decayed or had been filled.
Results Compared with maternal or paternal education of less than 13 years, maternal or paternal education of 15 years or longer was significantly associated with a decreased risk of dental caries in children: the adjusted odds ratios for maternal and paternal education levels 15 years compared with <13 years of maternal and paternal education were 0.32 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.14-0.71) and 0.45 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.23-0.88), respectively. No relationship between maternal occupation or household income and the risk of children's dental caries was found.
Conclusions Higher levels of parental education, in particular maternal education, may be associated with reduced risk of dental caries in preschool children.