Knowledge and behaviour of parents in relation to the oral and dental health of children aged 4-6 years.
Eur Arch Paediatr Dent
; 16(2): 199-204, 2015 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25367820
ABSTRACT
AIM:
To evaluate baseline knowledge and behaviour of parents with regard to the oral and dental health of their young children.METHODS:
Following ethical approval, six urban and rural schools were identified. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents of pupils (children aged 4-6 years). The questionnaire included several questions evaluating parental knowledge and behaviour of oral and dental health issues in their children. Each question was assigned a score of either 0 or 1 being inconsistent or consistent with current paediatric guidelines giving a maximum score of 6 for knowledge and 7 for behaviour. Chi-square analysis was used to analyse associations among variables.RESULTS:
Parental knowledge varied widely among parents and across questions; however, 70.2 % of parents had scores greater than 3 (range 0-6). The majority of parents (65.8 %) also had scores greater than 3 (range 0-7) for behaviour. Deficiencies were noted in oral hygiene practices; very few parents brushed their child's teeth and were not aware of the recommended age of the first dental visit at 1 year (Age 1 visit). Parents without free medical care demonstrated high levels of knowledge (P < 0.05). Almost half of the parents thought that the information available to them on the oral health of their young children was insufficient.CONCLUSION:
Parents appeared to have limited knowledge regarding the dental and oral health of their young children. This study indicates a need for improved education for parents, particularly in toothbrushing behaviour and use of toothpaste. Education strategies tailored to the Irish population should be explored.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Parents
/
Attitude to Health
/
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
/
Oral Health
/
Child Health
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Ethics
Limits:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur Arch Paediatr Dent
Journal subject:
ODONTOLOGIA
/
PEDIATRIA
Year:
2015
Document type:
Article