An Empirical Analysis of Impact of Parent’s Attitude on Preschool Children's Oral Health: A Study on Turkey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/vxd28803Keywords:
Oral hygiene, preschool children, parental education, supervision, fluoride use, dental visitsAbstract
Early childhood oral health is strongly influenced by parental knowledge, supervision, preventive practices, and access to dental care. This study examined parental attitudes and oral-hygiene practices among preschool children attending paediatric outpatient clinics in Istanbul, Türkiye. A cross-sectional survey of 203 parents assessed demographic characteristics, toothbrushing frequency, parental supervision, fluoride toothpaste use, dental attendance, information sources, and perceived barriers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and binary logistic regression. The findings showed that 41.9% of children brushed twice daily, 45.8% were always supervised during brushing, and 61.1% used fluoride toothpaste. Nearly half of the children had never visited a dentist, while emergency visits exceeded preventive attendance. Parental supervision showed the strongest correlation with brushing frequency, while parental education was positively associated with brushing, fluoride use, and dental attendance. In multivariable analysis, parental education, supervision, and fluoride use significantly predicted brushing frequency, explaining 41% of the variance. Higher parental education also more than doubled the odds of dental attendance, while supervision and fluoride use remained significant predictors. These findings emphasise the importance of strengthening parental education, active supervision, appropriate fluoride use, and preventive dental attendance within routine paediatric healthcare.
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