Intergenerational Caries among Mother-Child Pairs following Migration

It is well established that dental caries is the single most reported disease among children in the US. Caries experience of immigrant children upon migration shows substantial variation to the US average when considering country of origin or parental preferred language. Yet within several years post-migration, a common finding is that caries, particularly untreated caries, has increased to surpass the US average by age group. Factors associated with this increase include, but are not limited to, adapting a Western diet, lower socioeconomicstatus (SES), and limited access to care. Several studies also link poor oral status of immigrant mothers to high caries experience in their children. 

Indeed, compelling evidence links the caries experience of mothers and their children residing in the same geographic areas. While these studies describe the genetic and familial relationships attributed to oral disease, there is a paucity of data available to demonstrate the strength of intergenerational caries relationships when lifestyle and environmental factors are dramatically altered as is often the case with migration due to resettlement. Read more<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<