Mothers’ Oral Health May Affect That of Their Children

Mothers worth their salt may do what they can to provide their children with everything they need and more, but, according to a fairly recent study by New Zealand researchers, it’s possible that mothers who have problems with their oral health could be passing on the wrong kind of legacy to their offspring. This study, which ran for 27 years and was published in the Journal of Dental Research , suggested that mothers who have poor oral health are more likely to have kids who will also have poor oral health as adults.

For this study, over 1,000 New Zealand children born in either 1972 or 1973 were first examined when they were five years old. Over 900 of the original participants received exams later at 32 years of age, and researchers compared their oral health to 835 self-rated oral health reports filled out by their mothers in 1978. Forty-five percent of the participants whose mothers had rated their personal oral health as “very poor” had advanced tooth decay, and four out of every ten participants had lost teeth in adulthood.

In conjunction with these findings is that researchers have theorized that a combination of mutual genetic factors with environmental risk factors for oral health, such as oral health knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and economic/social status, are passed between mother and child. Researchers have also said it’s essential for mothers to improve their personal oral health, regularly visit with the dentist, and teach their kids strong oral health care practices.

To ensure children grow up with the knowledge they need to have for strong oral health as adults, organizations like the American Dental Association advise parents to educate their children early on the significance of good oral hygiene, so they can continue those good habits into adulthood. Oral hygiene, as with exercise and diet, must be factored in when fully describing to children what’s required to be healthy.

By ages six and seven, kids should be brushing their own teeth twice per day though they may need supervision until ages 10 and 11 to be sure they’re being thorough. Since all children are different, dentists can help determine if yours is brushing and flossing correctly whenever they go in for their dental appointment every six months. For adolescents, they may need to be reminded every now and then about better oral hygiene practices, the significance of consistent dental checkups and nutritious food/beverage choices, as well as the risks of both tobacco use and oral piercings.

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