LAUSR

AIM Determine if psychosocial determinants of adverse childhood experiences (ACE), from pregnancy to 2-years-old, are associated with severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) in Indigenous children. DESIGN Secondary data analyses from an ECC-prevention trial among 344 First Nations mother-child dyads living on- and off-reserve in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. Stratified (on/off reserve) Logistic Regression, controlling for mother's age and income source, assessed three categories of psychosocial ACE determinants: alcohol/drug misuse, household financial hardship (overcrowding and food insecurity), and emotional/social well-being (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), Sense of Personal Control (SOC), social support, subjective social status). RESULTS Household overcrowding [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.89(95% CI:1.06-3.38)], food insecurity [AOR=2.86(1.53-5.34)], and mothers' high perceived stress [AOR=2.48(1.40-4.37)] were associated with S-ECC (dmft>9) for those on-reserve. Maternal SOC had a protective effect for off-reserve children [AOR=0.17(0.03-0.95)]. CONCLUSIONS Increased efforts to reduce psychosocial ACE determinants are paramount to decreasing Indigenous children's vulnerability to S-ECC.