Knowledge, attitude and experience of children‘s first dental visit – A Survey among Chennai population

Abstract

Background : Pediatric dental visit aimed at early identification of dental problems and provision of preventive dental care. The aim is to determine their attitudes and level of knowledge about their children’s first dental visit among parent visiting the outpatient department of a Dental College, Chennai Materials and Methods : 220 parents/guardians were chosen as a convenient sample for this cross-sectional questionnaire study. The study included all parents and guardians who were interested in taking part in the study and whose kids had just gone to the dentist for the first time. Using Frankl's scale, the behavior of children was evaluated. Frequency distribution was given by descriptive statistics. Results : The most (37%) of the kids went to the dentist for the first time when they were 3-6 years old, while 12% of them went when they were 0-1 years old. Majority (72.67%) of the kids went to the dentist for the first time with their parents. During their first dentist appointment, about 41.16% of the kids behaved well. For about 27.53% of the participants, taking their kids to the dentist was mostly motivated by pain. Conclusion : It was shown that the majority of parents were ignorant of their children's first dental appointment. Most parents took their kids to the dentist after they complained of pain or dental caries. The general public has to be made more aware of the value of treating their children's dental health seriously from the very beginning of their lives.