Parents’ attitude toward assisted oral hygiene care for their children

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to understand the attitudes of parents toward oral hygiene care for children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the parent’s reasons for brushing or not brushing their child’s teeth. Convenience sampling method was followed and 100 parents filled the 12-item self-administered questionnaire. Results: About 76% of the household mothers were brushing the children’s teeth. Around 41 children did not like to brush their teeth due to unpleasant taste/flavor of toothpaste. In our study, majority of the parents (73%) agreed that it is easier when both of them were present at home while their child is brushing. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the awareness and importance of good oral hygiene is less among the parents and the attitude of the parents toward their child’s oral hygiene is positive among mother when compared to father.