Behavioral Correlates of Caregiver-Reported Oral Health of Children with Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate Ages 14 to 48 Months: An Observational Study.

To identify behaviors associated with poor caregiver-reported oral health in a population of young children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP ± L).

Observational cross-sectional study.

U.S. Cleft Outcomes Research NETwork (CORNET) Consortium.

Eight hundred thirty-four caregivers of US children with CP ± L ages 14 to 48 months who provided demographic and medical information and answered 8 items on oral health behaviors (eg, sugar-sweetened beverage intake frequency, having a regular source of dental care, toothbrushing, and fluoride exposure).

Caregiver-reported oral health status of the child (poor/fair vs good/very good). Logistic regression models were used to generate confounder-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and evaluate associations between oral health behaviors and caregiver-reported oral health status of the child.

The mean age of children was 25.5 ± 7.5 months, 82.7% were white, and 24.1% were Hispanic/Latino. About 16.7% of caregivers reported their child's oral health as fair/poor. Children consuming 2+ servings of juice and/or sugar-sweetened beverages daily (OR: 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2, 4.0; P = 0.011), those drinking bottled water (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.0, 3.1; P = 0.049), and those consuming 1+ servings of meal replacement drinks daily (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.2, 6.5; P = 0.015) had increased odds of fair/poor caregiver-reported child oral health.

Sugar-sweetened beverages and meal replacement drinks, as well as bottled water intake, were associated with poorer caregiver-reported oral health for children with CP ± L. Future research should focus on ways to improve beverage-related behaviors in children with CP ± L to prevent dental diseases and promote oral health.