Family-related factors associated with caries prevalence in the primary dentition of 5–6-year-old children in urban and rural areas of Jabalpur City

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition of 5-6-year-old children in urban and rural areas of Jabalpur city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural and urban areas of Jabalpur city, India. A power analysis was carried out to select a representative sample of 5-6-year-old children (n = 408), 204 from government schools and 204 from private schools. Parents were interviewed using a self-structured questionnaire to collect data with regard to variables under evaluation. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Collected data were subjected to descriptive analysis using the SPSS 12.0 version. Risk factor association with dental caries was investigated using a stepwise logistic regression analysis with P < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: This shows significantly higher decayed missing filled teeth among rural children than urban children. It was seen that 46.5% of children whose mothers were illiterate were affected with dental caries. In urban area, 91.5% of children whereas 77% of children in rural area have parental control on sugar consumption. CONCLUSION: It is important to focus on parents' education level when planning preventive programs for young children. Assessing family-related risk factors is essential when instituting preventive/treatment programs for young children.