Poor oral hygiene in mothers can lead to children being more likely to suffer from tooth decay, according to experts.
Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) carried out the study to assess if there was a link between family influence and children’s oral health.
Among the Hispanic families examined it was found that if a mother had rotten teeth the infant was almost twice as likely to suffer as well, suggesting they could need emergency dentistry in the future.
Jane Weintraub, director of UCSF’s Center to Address Disparities in Children’s Oral Health, said: “The oral health of parents, especially mum can impact the oral health of children, so dentists should include the whole family in the dental care process.”
She explained that the bacteria which cause the problem can be passed between individuals by tasting a child’s food before feeding them with the same spoon and that as a result, the findings are likely to be representative of other demographics.
Parents were recently warned by the British Dental Health Foundation to be wary of allowing their youngsters to eat too much yoghurt as many are high in sugar and can cause teeth to rot.