Almugairin Sarah, Alwably Alanoud, Alayed Nada, Algazlan Alanoud, Alrowaily Hadeel, Eldwakhly Elzahraa, Almudhi Abdullazez
Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabi.
Acta Odontol Scand. 2025 Jan 30;84:65-75. doi: 10.2340/aos.v84.42643.
Oral health is fundamental to children's health and well-being. Parental knowledge, awareness, and practices towards oral habits significantly influence children's oral health. Early diagnosis and intervention to break abnormal oral habits are vital to prevent long-term detrimental effects on oral and facial development.
This study aimed to assess parents' knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards their children's oral habits in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A cross-sectional study design was employed, where 2,000 participants were enrolled, of whom 563 Saudi mothers residing in Riyadh met the inclusion criteria. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, child information, parental awareness, and parental attitudes. Results: Regarding awareness, moderate overall awareness was reported among mothers, with the majority (over 70%) correctly identifying the negative effects of prolonged pacifier/bottle use and other habits on children's oral health. As for the attitudes, most mothers recognized the importance of stopping sucking habits (digit and/or pacifier) by 18 months and agreed that persistent oral habits cause malocclusion and growth problems. However, a significant gap existed between knowledge and practice, with most mothers (92.9%) never consulting a dentist regarding their child's ongoing oral habits. Mothers with higher education levels reported encouraging their children to stop habits and documented improvements observed after habit cessation. Conclusions: Although most mothers demonstrated moderate awareness of the detrimental effects of prolonged oral habits, a clear gap remains between knowledge and practice. This study emphasizes the need for educational programs to improve parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding children's oral habits. Additionally, addressing cultural beliefs and cost barriers to dental treatment could increase the utilization of dental services, improving children's oral health.
口腔健康是儿童健康和幸福的基础。父母对口腔习惯的知识、意识和做法会显著影响儿童的口腔健康。早期诊断和干预以打破异常口腔习惯对于预防对口腔和面部发育的长期有害影响至关重要。
本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯利雅得地区父母对其子女口腔习惯的知识、意识和态度。
采用横断面研究设计，招募了2000名参与者，其中居住在利雅得的563名沙特母亲符合纳入标准。使用经过验证的自填式问卷收集有关人口统计学、儿童信息、父母意识和父母态度的数据。
关于意识，母亲们的总体意识中等，大多数（超过70%）正确认识到长期使用安抚奶嘴/奶瓶及其他习惯对儿童口腔健康的负面影响。至于态度，大多数母亲认识到在18个月前停止吮吸习惯（手指和/或安抚奶嘴）的重要性，并同意持续的口腔习惯会导致错牙合和生长问题。然而，知识与实践之间存在显著差距，大多数母亲（92.9%）从未就其孩子持续的口腔习惯咨询过牙医。受过高等教育的母亲报告说会鼓励孩子停止习惯，并记录了习惯停止后观察到的改善情况。
尽管大多数母亲对长期口腔习惯的有害影响有中等程度的认识，但知识与实践之间仍存在明显差距。本研究强调需要开展教育项目，以提高父母对儿童口腔习惯的知识、态度和做法。此外，解决文化观念和牙科治疗的成本障碍可以增加牙科服务的利用率，改善儿童的口腔健康。
