Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Behaviors of Parents towards Care of Primary Dentition – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Aims: The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice behaviors of parents towards care of the primary dentition of children in Wardha city, India. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry, Sharad Pawar Dental College & Hospital, Duration- One year Methodology: A questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted among parents of 3-7 year old children who visited the Department of Pedodontics & Preventive dentistry. The self-administered, close-ended questionnaire was adopted from oral health literature [Rwakatema et al 2009] and was modified based on researcher’s knowledge and experience of the issues under study. The first part of the questionnaire included the demographic details while the second part comprised of 25 items to test knowledge, attitude and practices of parents. Data was collected by a single investigator who distributed the questionnaire, allowed enough time to fill it and collected on the spot after they had completed. Results: Majority of parents (69%) had good knowledge about importance of milk teeth. 87% of parents were aware that oral health affects the overall general health of child. However, Bedtime bottle-feeding and sharing of spoons with the child was reported by 54% and 77% of the study participants respectively. Conclusions: The majority (57.9%) of the study population had good knowledge pertaining to oral health. However, their practices towards the oral health of children were not satisfactory. Therefore, there is a need to improve oral health care practices by conducting awareness programs for parents.