Abstract
Objective: To determine whether mothers' self-rated oral health early in a child's life is associated with the latter's periodontal health by age 32.
Methods: Prospective cohort study of a complete birth cohort born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Assessments of maternal self-rated oral health were made in 1977/78 when the children were 5 years old. Assessments of the child's periodontal health were made 27 years later, at age 32. Primary outcome measures: periodontitis prevalence (the percentage with 1+ sites with 4+mm combined attachment loss, or CAL) and extent (the mean percentage of sites with 4+mm CAL).
Results: 915 individuals were periodontally examined at age 32. Of these 823 had mothers who were interviewed (and self-rated or were edentulous) at the age-5 assessment. Bivariate analyses revealed a moderately strong gradient in periodontitis prevalence across the 5 maternal oral health categories: 'Excellent', 20.7%; 'Fairly good', 26.8%; 'Average' 28.8%; 'Fairly poor', 31.2%; 'Very poor or edentulous', 40.6%; P<0.05). There was a similar gradient in periodontitis extent (0.8%, 1.4%, 2.1%, 1.9% and 2.9%, respectively, of sites affected; P<0.05). Multivariate analyses confirmed some of these gradients.
Conclusion: Unfavourable maternal self-rated oral health when children are young should be regarded as a risk factor for poor periodontal health among the offspring as they reach adulthood