Parents' views on factors influencing the dental health of Trinidadian pre-school children.

OBJECTIVE

To describe parents' views on the dental health of pre-school children in Trinidad.

BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN

Self-administered 22 item questionnaire by 138 parents and guardians of pre-school children.

CLINICAL SETTING

University paediatric dentistry clinic.

PARTICIPANTS

Consecutive parents or guardians of pre-school children attending a university paediatric dentistry clinic.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Views on dental health and dental care of pre-school children, perceptions of own oral health and demographic information.

RESULTS

Most participants (80%) were educated up to secondary school level and 59% were from homes where the head of the household was either in manual work or unemployed. One-half of the participants (50.7%) felt that teeth of young children should be brushed three times a day, with (75.4%) choosing a small brush. Most participants (65%) considered the position of supervised brushing of childrens' teeth from 'in front' to be the most effective method while 4.5% choose 'from behind'. Twenty seven percent did not know if their child's toothpaste contained fluoride and 82.6% did not know how much fluoride it should contain. Thirty three percent of the respondents had given their child a sweetened baby bottle or comforter at night. Fifty four percent felt a child's first dental visit should be when all baby teeth were present. Forty two percent would want a decayed baby tooth filled, 31.9% would want it extracted and 22.4% were unsure.

CONCLUSION

The generally inaccurate factual knowledge and low awareness of preventive care among parents suggest the need for accurate information about factors influencing the dental health of pre-school children. These findings have significant implications for the delivery of effective health promotion strategies and the accuracy of health education messages in Trinidad and Tobago.