Parental stress and dental caries experience in adolescents: analysis of data from a birth cohort study in Pelotas, Southern Brazil

Purpose Analyze the association between parental stress and dental caries experience in adolescents in southern Brazil using data from the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort. Methods Interviews and oral health examinations for the determination of the main exposure and outcome of the study were performed in the homes of the adolescents. The outcome was dental caries experience in the permanent dentition analyzed using the Decayed, Missing and Filling Surfaces (DMFS) index. The main exposure was parental stress measured using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form administered to the parents of the adolescents. Demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, oral health characteristics and oral health-related quality of life were considered potential confounding factors. Negative binomial regressions estimated mean ratios (MR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Nine hundred ninety-six adolescents were evaluated at 12 and 13 years of age. The prevalence of dental caries experience in the adolescents was 36.9% (95% CI: 33.8–40.0) and 15.1% (95% CI: 12.8–17.3) of the parents had parental stress. After adjusting for confounding factors, parental stress was associated with a higher mean number of decayed, missing and filling surfaces in the adolescents (MR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01–1.26; p = 0.045). Conclusion Adolescents of parents with parental stress have more dental caries experience compared to those whose parents do not have parental stress.