Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 30;21(2):154.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21020154.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Parents about Oral Health in the Primary Dentition Stage in a Peruvian High Andean City

Nilton B Rojas-Briceño  1   2 , Oscar J Oc Carrasco  1 , Yshoner A Silva Díaz  1 , Carla M Ordinola Ramírez  1 , Oscar Pizarro Salazar  1 , Shírley J Tuesta-Mendoza  1 , Jhonsy O Silva-López  1
Affiliations

Knowledge and Attitudes of Parents about Oral Health in the Primary Dentition Stage in a Peruvian High Andean City

Nilton B Rojas-Briceño et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Children's oral health depends on parents' knowledge and attitudes. The primary dentition stage, in particular, plays a crucial role in the comprehensive development of children. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate parents' knowledge and attitudes about oral health in the primary dentition stage in Chachapoyas (Amazonas, NW Peru). A questionnaire was administered to 409 parents from 15 educational institutions, and the data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Among the surveyed parents, 75.3% could identify at least one habit harmful to their children's teeth (such as excessive sugar consumption) and one of its effects (such as dental caries). Additionally, 77.5% reported that their children presented some dental problem, more frequent in the peripheral areas than in the city's center. Gender (odd ratio, OR = 0.484; p = 0.037), educational level (OR = 2.144; p = 0.043), and type of health insurance (OR = 2.627; p = 0.044) of the parents influenced awareness of taking care of their children's primary dental health. The geographic location of the school (1.729 < OR < 2.079; p ≤ 0.011) and family income (OR = 3.504; p = 0.028) influenced parents' identification of the different harmful effects of children's habits. Factors such as low socioeconomic status and never taking the child to the dentist increased the risk of dental problems (p < 0.05). It is suggested that peripheral areas, like rural areas, lack the same oral health programs and access to treatment as central urban areas, leading to disparities in parental knowledge and attitudes.

Keywords: dental caries; dental health; oral habits; preschool; primary teeth; thumb sucking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study areas in Amazonas, northern Peru.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sample calculation and analyzing surveys.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Importance of taking the child to the dentist at the primary dentition stage (n = 409).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Knowledge about children’s habits and their harmful effects (n = 409).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Presence of dental problems in the children (n = 409).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Nadelman P., Magno M.B., Pithon M.M., de Castro A.C.R., Maia L.C. Does the Premature Loss of Primary Anterior Teeth Cause Morphological, Functional and Psychosocial Consequences? Braz. Oral Res. 2021;35:1–11. doi: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2021.vol35.0092. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ramakrishnan M., Banu S., Ningthoujam S., Samuel V. Evaluation of Knowledge and Attitude of Parents about the Importance of Maintaining Primary Dentition—A Cross-Sectional Study. J. Fam. Med. Prim Care. 2019;8:414. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_371_18. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vittoba S.J., Srinivasan I. Knowledge and Awareness of Primary Teeth and Their Importance among Parents in Bengaluru City, India. Int. J. Clin. Pediatr. Dent. 2016;9:56–61. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1334. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alqarni A.S., AlGomaiah M.A. Evaluation of the Efficacy of Various Root Canal Irrigants on Removal of Smear Layer in Primary Teeth: A Comparative Study. J. Pharm. Bioallied Sci. 2023;15:S455–S458. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_605_22. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Iheozor-Ejiofor Z., Worthington H.V., Walsh T., O’Malley L., Clarkson J.E., Macey R., Alam R., Tugwell P., Welch V., Glenny A.-M. Water Fluoridation for the Prevention of Dental Caries. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2015;2015:CD010856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010856.pub2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed