DENTAL CARIES IN CHILDREN ONE TO SIX YEARS OF AGE AS RELATED TO SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL, FOOD HABITS, AND TOOTHBRUSHING

¹ University of Oregon Dental School, Portland, Ore.

Association of incidence of dental caries with the socioeconomic status of parents was investigated in 279 children. The parent (mother) of the child was interviewed at home by trained interviewers to determine the socioeconomic status and obtain information on the food and oral hygiene habits of the children. A negative association was found between the parent's (father as well as mother) education and dental caries (def teeth). Parent's education was found to be associated with the number of times per day the children brushed their teeth.

Parents' income was not found to be associated with the incidence of dental caries, food, or oral hygiene habits in these 279 children.