Parents´ Knowledge about the Effects of Oral Hygiene, Proper Nutrition and Fluoride Prophylaxis on Oral Health in Early Childhood

Abstract

Summary Background/Aim: Health education, as one of the important aspects of preventive dentistry, plays an important role in promoting and achieving good oral health. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of parents´ knowledge about the effects of oral hygiene, proper nutrition and fluoride prophylaxis on oral heath in early childhood. Material and Methods: Parents were asked to fill a questionnaire which consisted of three sections, oral hygiene, fluoride prophylaxis and nutrition. The study included 136 parents of children, aged between 3-6 years. The survey was conducted in pedagogical-education institution - PE “Our happiness” - Leposavic, Kosovo and Metohia, Serbia. Results: More than 58% parents from urban areas and 63% parents from rural areas were informed that the teeth should be brushed at least twice a day (p=0.007). Only 31.11% of parents from urban and 15.22% of parents from rural areas were informed that a child should visit dentists for the first time, at the one year of age (p=0.083). The analysis of the questionnaire section regarding the nutrition and oral health, showed that parents from rural areas were better informed than parents from urban areas. Awareness about fluoride and their role in preventive dentistry was poor, as only 3% of children from urban and 1% of children from rural areas were using tablets based on fluoride while only 1% of children from urban and none from rural areas were using fluoride mouth rinses. Conclusions: The study showed that parents have the knowledge about the impact of oral hygiene, food and fluoride prophylaxis on the oral health but unfortunately they do not apply their knowledge in practice.