Introduction: Dental caries and poor oral hygiene are among the major childhood public health problems. Although dental research frequently refers to the link between these conditions and behavioural issues, little attention has been paid to understanding the reason for oral health problems from a psychiatric point of view. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between poor oral health and hygiene and parental attitudes towards child rearing, parents’ and children’s oral hygiene behaviours, and childhood psychiatric disorders.
Material and methods: This study included 323 children aged 3–15 years. Decayed, missing, filled and decayed, extracted, filled indices, the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parent Attitude Research Instrument were used in the study.
Results: We found that the subjects’ hyperactivity/inattention scores were positively correlated with poor oral health (p = 0.001) and heavy cariogenic food consumption (p = 0.040). Tooth brushing frequency was found to be significantly lower in children who have a risk for conduct/oppositional disorders than in their non-problematic peers (p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Dental health and oral hygiene behaviours have close links with psychiatric disorders and psychosocial issues. Improving cooperation between child psychiatrists and dentists seems to be important in the prevention of paediatric dental problems.