Parental knowledge about oral disease prevention in children under seven years old

Relevance. Oral health in children largely depends on parental involvement and the formation of adequate oral care skills. Parental awareness of oral disease prevention and adherence to the recommendation of pediatric dentists or dental hygienists are paramount for dental disease onset. Therefore, the assessment of parental knowledge about oral prevention is relevant.

Aim. To evaluate the oral health education of parents of children under seven y.o. on oral disease prevention.

Materials and methods. The study anonymously surveyed 250 parents of children under seven y.o., living in Barnaul. The survey in Google Forms included questions about parental awareness of dental diseases, the frequency of dental visits, parental knowledge of the child's home oral care and the child's diet. The study results were statistically processed using the MS Excel 2007 program.

Results. The survey of Barnaul parents of children under seven demonstrated that 50% of the children were breastfed, and almost no one used dairy products as the main drink. Despite the knowledge about the importance of caries treatment in children, most parents (68%) visit a dentist when dental disease symptoms appear. The dentist is not always the principal source of information about dental diseases in children and their prevention. The parents selected oral hygiene products and items independently in most cases, without considering the child's individual dental status characteristics. Some parents believe that they may skip brushing their primary teeth brushing at all.

Conclusion. The results evidence the need to increase parental knowledge about dental disease prevention in children.

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