Associations between Maternal Education and Child Nutrition and Oral Health in an Indigenous Population in Ecuador

Bharathi Chinnakotla (), Sita Manasa Susarla (), Deepika Chandra Mohan, Bathsheba Turton, Hannah M. Husby, Cecilia Paz Morales and Karen Sokal-Gutierrez
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Bharathi Chinnakotla: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Sita Manasa Susarla: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Deepika Chandra Mohan: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Bathsheba Turton: Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Hannah M. Husby: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Cecilia Paz Morales: General Dental Practice, Quito 170513, Ecuador
Karen Sokal-Gutierrez: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: The global nutrition transition has increased the prevalence of childhood dental caries. Greater understanding is needed of the impact of social determinants—including maternal education—on child oral health. This is a cross-sectional analysis of a convenience sample of families of 458 indigenous Ecuadorian children aged 6 months through 6 years from 2011–2013. Data was collected by mother interviews and child dental and anthropometric examinations. Multivariate logistic and Zero-Inflated-Poisson regression analyses assessed associations between years of maternal education and maternal-child oral health practices and child oral health outcomes. Each additional year of maternal education was significantly ( p < 0.05) associated with some healthier practices including greater likelihood of mothers and children drinking milk daily (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.08, 1.34); and less healthy practices including greater likelihood of bottle-feeding children with sugary liquids (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.06, 1.22) and to older age, giving children sweets daily, calming children with a bottle or sweets, and less likelihood of helping brush their children’s teeth (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88, 0.98). Each year of maternal education had a small but statistically non-significant influence on increasing the odds of children being among those who are cavity-free (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.92, 1.16). Interventions to improve health outcomes should focus not just on maternal education but also address social and commercial determinants of health through nutrition and oral health education, as well as policies to reduce sugar and ensure universal access to oral health care.

Keywords: oral health; public health; maternal-child health; social determinants of health; maternal education; nutrition; early childhood caries; ecuador (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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