Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340
Volume 3, Number 3 (2016) : 32-36
©Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
www.aryapgcollege.com, www.apcjournals.com

Impact of Parental Literacy and Dietary Knowledge on Dental Caries of Preschool Children (2-5 Years)

Ruhi Grewal
Guest Faculty, Department of Home Science, DAV College, Yamunanagar
(Haryana), India
Email: ruhigrewal05@gmail.com

Abstract

Dental caries occur due to bacterial activities, improper dietary patterns, lack of brushing teeth, etc. which lead to the breakdown of hard tissues resulting in dental problems. Recent studies have proved that that there has been alarming increase in dental caries especially in young children. The study was conducted to find out the impact of parental literacy and their dietary knowledge on dental caries of preschoolers. For this, 200 preschoolers along with their parents were selected from Chandigarh and Yamunanagar. Information related to mother’s qualification, dietary patterns of preschoolers, and dietary knowledge of parents was collected. It was observed that 94.4 per cent of undergraduate and 88 per cent of post graduate mother’s children were more susceptible towards dental caries as compared to less qualified mother’s children. It was also seen that 54.7 per cent and 51.5 per cent of preschoolers suffered from dental caries problem due to high carbohydrate intake (60%) and high sugar intake respectively. Study also investigated dietary knowledge of parents which was not up to the mark. Hence, dietary knowledge of parents was one of the reasons to be found for high prevalence of dental caries in preschoolers. Thus, this study indicates a relation between parent’s literacy, dietary knowledge and dental caries of preschoolers

Keywords: Dental Caries, Mother’s Qualification, Dietary Knowledge, Carbohydrate Intake, Sugar Intake.