How Parental Knowledge Impacts Children’s Teeth
A recent scoping review highlights how parents’ ability to understand and use oral health information—known as oral health literacy (OHL)—influences their children’s dental health. The findings suggest that stronger parental OHL is generally linked to better oral health habits and outcomes in children, though results across studies are mixed.
🔍 Background
The World Health Organization identifies health literacy as a core determinant of health in the 21st century. Oral health literacy is a critical part of this, especially for parents and caregivers making daily decisions about their children’s oral care.
📚 Review Process
Researchers screened nearly 3,000 publications across databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. After applying inclusion criteria, 19 studies—observational or pilot in design—were included in the review. These studies assessed the relationship between parental OHL and oral health outcomes in children up to age 17.
✅ Findings
Lower OHL linked to poorer outcomes: Most studies showed that parents with limited OHL had children with higher rates of cavities, less frequent dental visits, and poorer hygiene habits.
Moderate correlation in some cases: A few studies reported moderate associations between parental OHL scores and children’s dmft (decayed, missing, or filled teeth) scores.
No clear link in others: Some studies did not find a significant relationship, highlighting the complexity of oral health, which is influenced by multiple social and environmental factors.
⚠️ Limitations
Measurement tools varied widely across studies, often focusing only on basic reading or pronunciation skills rather than broader decision-making and critical thinking abilities.
Many studies had small or non-representative samples, increasing the risk of bias.
Because of these inconsistencies, a meta-analysis could not be performed.
🧾 Conclusion
Improving parental oral health literacy has the potential to enhance children’s dental health and daily care practices. While low OHL is generally associated with poorer outcomes, causality cannot be assumed due to the many contributing factors that affect oral health.
📖 Original Source
Academic Reference: Alzahrani, A.Y., El Meligy, O., Bahdila, D., et al. The Influence of Parental Oral Health Literacy on Children’s Oral Health: A Scoping Review. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry. 2024; 48(4): 16-25.
News Coverage: Scoping Review Evaluates Parental Oral Health Literacy’s Influence on Children’s Oral Health Outcomes. Today’s RDH, September 19, 2025.