What is the relationship between maternal stress and the oral health of children?
This fact would not have greater relevance for oral health if it were not for the fact that a recent joint study by Kings College London and the University of Washington has stated that maternal stress affects children’s health and has observed a greater number of cavities in those children whose mothers had chronic stress compared to those who did not have any stress markers.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 700 mother-child pairs, with children ages 2 to 6 and mothers averaging 36 years of age. Throughout the study, the scientists found that dental caries was more common among children whose mothers had two or more biological markers of chronic stress, known as allostatic load (AL).
Additional analyzes tested the relationship between maternal AL and child care behaviors, such as breastfeeding or proper feeding. Caries was higher among non-breastfed children and, respectively, mothers with one and two or more AL markers were less likely to breastfeed their babies.
In addition, stress was also associated with a lower probability of visiting the dentist during the first years of the children’s lives, which negatively influences their oral care and prevents them from being able to carry out preventive measures that prevent the appearance of cavities and other diseases.
How does caries affect children between 2 and 6 years old?
Dental caries is considered one of the diseases with the highest prevalence and incidence in preschool and school age. It is a transmissible and highly preventable disease of multifactorial etiology and is caused by bacteria present in the oral cavity.
These bacteria metabolize sugars and carbohydrates in food and alter the demineralization-remineralization balance of the tooth, producing enamel demineralization initially. If the process continues, the enamel ends up cavitating and forming small perforations that, if not treated, can ultimately lead to the loss of the tooth.
Due to the high incidence of this disease in a population group such as children, we must place special emphasis on preventive measures immediately after the eruption of the first tooth in order to avoid the appearance of oral pathologies.. The objective of going to the dentist at such an early age is not to carry out any treatment but to control the oral condition, as well as to instruct and educate parents and children in preventive measures.
And what prevention measures should parents know?
Brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste from the beginning of the dental eruption is one of the measures that helps prevent tooth and gum diseases. There are multiple studies that show that there is an association between the age at which brushing begins and cavities.
Children who start brushing from the age of 3 years presented 20% more caries than those who established good oral hygiene guidelines before one year of life..
Diet is another important factor that influences the appearance of cavities, since it is sugars that, once metabolized by bacteria, become acids that destroy enamel. It is vitally important to eat a healthy diet, low in carbohydrates and sugars.
Therefore, the preventive measures mentioned above aim to improve dental health, particularly to reduce the prevalence of caries among children, but we must not neglect the psychosocial factorso it would be necessary to include interventions to improve the quality of mothers life and therefore of children.. Chronic maternal stress as a potential risk factor is something that we must take into account, as well as the implications of maternal well-being, the social and psychological environment on dental health.
