Parental Influence on Early Childhood Caries

Abstract

Parents have a significant role in educating their children about oral hygiene, therefore their knowledge and attitude influences their children oral health status. METHODOLOGY: In this cross-sectional study questionnaires were distributed to 300 mothers from Dow Dental College OPD to assess their knowledge, attitude and practice towards their children oral health. Questionnaire assessed demographic data, literacy level, importance of primary dentition and aspects of early childhood decay. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 20. P Values was considered significant at p<0.05. Associations between multiple variables were assessed by using chi square and multinomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Majority (n=167, 55.7%) had fair knowledge, 23.3% (n=70) reported to exhibit fair attitude while 47% (n=141) reported acceptable oral hygiene practices. While majority mothers (96.7%, n=290) knew that sugar is the main cause of caries but in practice many of them were giving their children sweet upon demand (60.7%, n=182). Only 127 participants (42.3%) knew about the role of fluoride. Positive attitude towards primary dentition was shown by 169 participants (56.3%). CONCLUSIONS:Overall very few mothers had good knowledge towards their children's oral health which resulted in the poor practices of oral hygiene.

Parental Oral Hygiene Knowledge: Investigating the Source for Successful Oral Hygiene Behavior in Children

“…This sentiment was found in a recent study where 30% of parents with a postgraduate level of education similarly felt that treatment on deciduous teeth would be unnecessary since the teeth would exfoliate on their own and be replaced by a permanent tooth (Srinivas & Jeevanandan, 2019). However, studies have found that 56.3% of mothers were cognizant of the importance of keeping the deciduous teeth in good health (Faheem, Maqsood, & Shaikh, 2018). This research seeks to answer the following question: What is the relationship between a parent's level of oral hygiene knowledge and their child's oral hygiene behaviors in the greater United States?…”