Objectives: For low-income mothers of children aged 3-6, estimate whether having a RSDC is associated with self-reported oral health, oral health beliefs and behaviors, and dental utilization.
Methods: From a population of 108,151 Medicaid children aged 3-6 in Washington state, disproportionate stratified sampling by racial/ethnic group selected 10,909 eligible children. Mothers (n=4,373) in four racial/ethnic groups (19% African American, 31% Hispanic, 33% Caucasian, and 17% other) completed a mixed-mode (web, mail, telephone) survey in English, Spanish or Russian to collect measures of mothers' RSDC, personal and family characteristics, self-rated dental health (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor), appearance of teeth, number of dental problems, brushing duration, flossing frequency, use of toothpicks or whiteners, and belief that cleaning prevents cavities or loose teeth. Multivariable logistic regression models for each racial/ethnic group identified associations with mothers having RSDC.
Results: About 39% of mothers had a regular place of dental care or a regular dentist. Across racial/ethnic groups, having a RSDC was associated with better oral health for all measures, greater likelihood of a dental cleaning and less likelihood of tooth extraction. RSDC was not associated generally with oral health beliefs and behaviors, except flossing.
Conclusion: Less than half of low-income mothers with children aged 3-6 covered by Medicaid had RSDC, which was associated with better self-reported oral health and preventive dental care but generally not with oral health beliefs and behaviors. Supported by NIDCR DE14400.