Association Between Maternal Sense of Coherence and Oral Health-related Quality of Life in 3 to 5-Year-Old Children Referring to Touba Clinic in Sari, Iran

Introduction:Sense of coherence (SOC) is an effective factor in health-related behaviors. Mothers' SOC can influence health and consequently the orodental health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in their children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mother's SOC and OHRQoL in 3 to 5-year-old children in Sari, Iran. Materials and methods: A total of 190 children, along with their mothers, were selected out of those referring to the Touba Clinic in Sari. The SOC of mothers was assessed by Antonovsky's SOC-13 questionnaire, and the OHRQoL was evaluated using the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). The dmft index was also used to determine the status of dental caries in children. A p-value of Results:In this study, the mean scores of SOC, ECOHIS, and dmft index were 57.13±4.9, 13.8±0.4, and 7.4±1.33, respectively. The dmft index correlated negatively with SOC (r=-0.453, P≤0.001) and positively with ECOHIS (r=0.535, P≤0.001). In this regard, with increasing the mean dmft in children, ECOHIS scores also increased, but SOC scores in mothers decreased. The ECOHIS also had a negative correlation with SOC (r=-0.347, P≤0.001); in other words, with increasing mothers' SOC scores, the scores of quality of life also decreased. Conclusion:Mothers' SOC significantly affected dental caries and quality of life in their children. Therefore, with the increase in maternal SOC, OHRQoL can be improved.