Toothbrushing frequency among 4–6-year-old Iranian children and associated maternal attitude and sociobehavioral factors

Abstract

Background: Toothbrushing is an important aspect of children’s oral health self-care. This study
aimed to explore toothbrushing frequency among 4–6-year-old Iranian children and associated
maternal attitude and sociobehavioral factors.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 407 mother–child
(aged 4–6 years) pairs through stratifi ed random sampling in Tabriz, Iran. Data were collected
using self-reported questionnaires including demographic characteristic, maternal attitude, and
toothbrushing frequency of both mothers and children. Logistic regression was used to determine
the predicators of children’s toothbrushing. Statistical signifi cance was set at P < 0.05 for all tests.
Results: The mean age of mothers was 32.6 years (standard deviation [SD] =4.8) and 5.3 years
(SD = 1.1) for children. Twice-daily toothbrushing was observed at a relative frequency of 12.8%
in children and 18.4% in mothers. About 43.7% of children brushed their teeth once daily. Nearly
38.7% of children started toothbrushing behavior regularly at 4 years of age, and 41% had dental
visits. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that children’s toothbrushing (once daily or
more) was associated with maternal brushing frequency (odds ratio [OR] =2.0, 95% confi dence
interval [CI] =1.53–2.86), maternal attitude toward oral health (OR = 1.15, CI = 1.08–1.22), and
children’s age (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.02–1.77).
Conclusions: The descriptive results indicated that maternal and children toothbrushing behaviors
are unfavorable. Furthermore, maternal toothbrushing behavior is a strong predicator of children’s
brushing behavior. Health promotional activities seem necessary for mothers to enhance oral health
behavior of their children.
Key Words: Attitude,child,oral health, toothbrushing