Oral Health Need
Friends, family and acquaintances may be very influential on oral health. For example, new mothers often ask family members when to start brushing their child's teeth and go to the dentist. It’s not just about where we work and play, it’s about who we know.
The goal of the Social Network Study is to research on the impact of mothers’ social networks on children’s dental visits, home hygiene practices and child tooth decay. The study recruits mothers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and several locations throughout the state of West Virginia. This study is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program.
Results
We reliably identified social network characteristics that are associated with child oral health outcomes. For example, high levels of dental utilization among mothers’ connections were strongly associated with dental utilization for the child. Similarly, worse self-reported dental health among mothers’ connections was also associated with child dental caries.