Suresh B S, Ravishankar T L, Chaitra T R, Mohapatra A K, Gupta V
Department of Community Dentistry, Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre, Kanth Road, Moradabad, India.
J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2010 Oct-Dec;28(4):282-7. doi: 10.4103/0970-4388.76159.
Children under the age of 5 years generally spend most of their time with their parents and guardians, especially mothers, even when they attend pre-schools or nurseries. It has been found that young children's oral health maintenance and outcomes are influenced by their parent's knowledge and beliefs. This study was done to assess the mother's knowledge about the oral health of their pre-school children in Moradabad, India. Mothers of children aged 1-4 years, attending the hospital for vaccination or regular checkups in the pediatric division of government hospitals, were invited to participate in the study. A 20-item questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, dietary practices, oral hygiene practices and importance of deciduous teeth, was distributed to their mothers, during their visit to the hospital. Responses of the mothers were recorded on a Likert Scale. The sample comprised 406 mothers, with the mean age of children being 3.8 years. Three hundred (73.8%) mothers had a good knowledge about diet and dietary practices, while only 110 (27.1%) and 103 (25.4%) mothers were found to have a good knowledge about the importance of oral hygiene practices and importance of deciduous teeth, respectively. Mothers with higher educational qualification and information gained through dentist had a better knowledge about child's oral health. Oral hygiene habits and dietary habits are established during pre-school days and the parents, especially mothers, function as role models for their children.
5岁以下的儿童通常大部分时间都与父母及监护人在一起，尤其是母亲，即便他们上了学前班或托儿所也是如此。研究发现，幼儿的口腔健康维护及结果受其父母的知识和观念影响。本研究旨在评估印度莫拉达巴德地区母亲们对其学龄前儿童口腔健康的了解情况。邀请在政府医院儿科部门因接种疫苗或定期体检而前来医院的1至4岁儿童的母亲参与研究。在她们就诊期间，向其母亲发放了一份包含社会人口学特征、饮食习惯、口腔卫生习惯以及乳牙重要性等20个条目的问卷。母亲们的回答采用李克特量表进行记录。样本包括406位母亲，孩子的平均年龄为3.8岁。300位（73.8%）母亲对饮食及饮食习惯有较好的了解，而分别只有110位（27.1%）和103位（25.4%）母亲对口腔卫生习惯的重要性和乳牙的重要性有较好的了解。受过较高教育且从牙医处获取信息的母亲对孩子的口腔健康了解得更好。口腔卫生习惯和饮食习惯在学龄前就已形成，而父母，尤其是母亲，是孩子的榜样。
