ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PERIODONTAL HEALTH AMONG PARENTS OF PEDODONTIC PATIENTS

Abstract Aim:Family is the most important environment where children acquire knowledge, attitudes, and habits related to oral health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of parents toward periodontal health and diseases, and the relationship of their knowledge and attitudes with demographic data. Materials and Methods:500 parents, referred for the treatment of their children were included in the study. The knowledge and attitudes of the parents were assessed using a self-administered and structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by chi-square test, with the level of significance set at p<0.05. Results:33.0% parents and 33.6% children brushed their teeth twice or more daily. 17% parents and 8.6% children used dental floss/interdental brush, and 77% parents visited a dentist only when they experienced dental complaints. Most parents incorrectly defined the meaning of dental plaque and did not know its role in the etiology of gingival diseases. 47.4% of them were aware that bleeding gums indicated the presence of periodontal disease, while only 11.8% knew that one of the main reasons of tooth loss was periodontal disease. It was also evident that the use of dental floss significantly increased with an increase income level (p<0.05), and the knowledge and attitude of the parents regarding periodontal health significantly increased with the educational level (p<0.05). Conclusion:The knowledge and attitude of the parents regarding periodontal health were poor. Thus, an improvement in the knowledge and awareness among the parents can prevent or reduce the severity of many possible periodontal problems in their children. Key words: Attitude, Child, Knowledge, Parent, Periodontal health Pedodonti Hastalarının Ebeveynlerinin Periodontal Sağlığa İlişkin Bilgi ve Tutumlarının Değerlendirilmesi Özet Amaç: Aile, çocukların ağız sağlığı ile ilgili alışkanlık, bilgi ve tutumlarında etkisi olan en önemli ortamdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, ebeveynlerin periodontal sağlık ve hastalığa yönelik bilgi ve tutumlarını değerlendirmek ve bilgi ve tutumlarının demografik verilerle ilişkisini araştırmaktı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çocuklarının tedavisi için başvuran 500 ebeveyn çalışmaya dahil edildi. Ebeveynlerin bilgi ve tutumları, yapılandırılmış bir anket kullanılarak değerlendirildi. Veriler ki-kare testi ile analiz edildi, anlamlılık düzeyi p<0.05 olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: Ebeveynlerin %33.0’ı ve çocukların %33.6’sı dişlerini günde iki veya daha fazla fırçalamaktadır. Ebeveynlerin %17’si ve çocukların %8.6’sı diş ipi/ arayüz fırçası kullandığını ve %77'si dental şikayetleri bulunması durumunda diş hekimini ziyaret ettiğini belirtmiştir. Ebeveynlerin çoğunluğu dental plağı yanlış tanımlamış ve diş eti hastalıklarının etiyolojisindeki rolüne doğru cevap vermemiştir. %47.4'ü dişeti kanamasının periodontal hastalığı işaret ettiğini ve %11.4'ü diş kaybının ana nedenlerinden birinin de periodontal hastalık olduğunu bildiğini belirtmiştir. Ayrıca diş ipi kullanımının gelir düzeyi arttıkça anlamlı şekilde arttığı (p<0.05) ve ebeveynlerin periodontal sağlık konusundaki bilgi ve tutumlarının eğitim düzeyi ile anlamlı olarak arttığı da gözlenmiştir (p<0.05). Sonuç: Ebeveynlerin periodontal sağlık konusundaki bilgi ve tutumu zayıftı. Bu nedenle, ebeveynlerin bilgi ve farkındalıklarında bir gelişme, çocuklarında olası birçok periodontal sorunun ciddiyetini önleyebilir veya azaltabilir. Anahtar kelimeler: Tutum; Çocuk; Bilgi; Ebeveyn; Periodontal sağlık 
Anahtar Kelimeler:

Attitude, Child, Knowledge, Parent

___

  • 1. Albandar JM, Rams TE. Global epidemiology of periodontal diseases: an overview. Periodontol 2000 2002;29:7–10.
  • 2. Albandar JM, Tinoco EMB. Global epidemiology of periodontal diseases in children and young persons. Periodontol 2000 2002;29:153–76.
  • 3. Jenkins WM, Papapanou PN. Epidemiology of periodontal disease in children and adolescents. Periodontol 2000 2001;26:16–32.
  • 4. Chapple IL, Van der Weijden F, Doerfer C, Herrera D, Shapira L, Polak D, et al. Primary prevention of periodontitis: managing gingivitis. J Clin Periodontol 2015;42 Suppl 16:71-6.
  • 5. Needleman I, Nibali L, Di Iorio A. Professional mechanical plaque removal for prevention of periodontal diseases in adults--systematic review update. J Clin Periodontol 2015;42 Suppl 16:12-35.
  • 6. Kara MC, Zihni M. Erzurum bolgesindeki hastalarin agiz ve periodontal saglik konusundakì bìlgì düzeylerí. Atatürk Üniv Diş Hek Fak Derg 2004;14(3):1-8.
  • 7. Beljan M, Puharić Z, Žulec M, Borić D, Neumuller KR. Parent’s and children’s behavior and knowledge about oral health. Acta Med Croatica 2016;70(3):165-71.
  • 8. Walsh MM. Effects of school based dental health education on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of adolescents in San Francisco. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1985;13:143-7.
  • 9. Murtomaa H, Meurman J, Rytomaa I, Turtola L. Periodontal status in university students. J Clin Periodontol 1987;14(8):462-5.
  • 10. Murtomaa H, Ahlberg J, Mestsaniitty M. Periodontal awareness among adult Finns in 1972 and 1990. Acta Odontol Scand 1997;55:49-52.
  • 11. Brady W. Periodontal disease awareness. J Am Dent Assoc 1984;109:706-10.
  • 12. Taani DQ. Periodontal awareness and knowledge, and pattern of dental attendance among adults in Jordan. Int Dent J 2002;52(2):94-8.
  • 13. Croxson LJ. Periodontal awareness: The key to periodontal health. Int Dent J 1993;43:167-77.
  • 14. Lang WP, Ronis DL, Farghaly MM. Preventive behaviors as correlates of periodontal health status. J Public Health Dent 1995;55:10-7.
  • 15. Nyandindi U, Palin-Palokas T, Milen A, Robison V, KombeN, Mwakasagude S. Participation, willingness and abilities of school teacher in oral health education in Tanzania. Community Dent Health 1994;11:101-4.
  • 16. Vidya Sekhar, Sivsankar P, Easwaran M.A, Subitha L, Bharath N, Rajeswary K, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice of school teachers towards oral health in pondicherry. J Clin Diagn Res 2014;8(8):12-5.
  • 17. Khan N, Al-Shaafi M, Al-Garawi Z. Dental caries, fluorosis and knowledge of school teachers of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pakistan Oral Dent J 2000;20:52-62.
  • 18. Jiang H, Tai B, Du M. A survey on dental knowledge and behavior of mothers and teachers of school children. Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi 2002;20(3):219-20, 222.
  • 19. Khanal K, Shrestha D, Ghimire N, Younjan R, Sanjel S. Assessment of Knowledge Regarding Oral Hygiene among Parents of Pre-School Children Attending Pediatric Out Patient Department in Dhulikhel Hospital. Kathmandu Univ Med J 2015;13(49):38-43.
  • 20. Kumar S, Tadakamadla J, Zimmer-Gembeck M, Kroon J, Lalloo R, Johnson NW. The Effect of Parenting Practices on the Severity of Gingival Bleeding in Children. J Periodontol 2017;88(8):744-51.
  • 21. Okada M, Kawamura M, Hayashi Y, Takase N, Kozai K. Simultaneous interrelationship between the oral health behavior and oral health status of mothers and their children. J Oral Sci 2008;50(4):447-52.
  • 22. Okada M, Kawamura M, Kaihara Y, Matsuzaki Y, Kuwahara S, Ishidori H, et al. Influence of parents’ oral health behaviour on oral health status of their school children: an exploratory study employing a causal modelling technique. Int J Paediatr Dent 2002;12:101–8.
  • 23. Pakpour AH, Hidarnia A, Hajizadeh E, Kumar S, Fridlund B. Why Iranian adolescents do not brush their teeth: a qualitative study. Int J Dent Hyg 2012;10:86–90.
  • 24. Saied-Moallemi Z, Virtanen JI, Ghofranipour F, Murtomaa H. Influence of mothers’ oral health knowledge and attitudes on their children’s dental health. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 2008;9:79–83.
  • 25. Bandura A. Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In:Kurtines WM, Gewirtz JL, editors. Handbook of moral behavior and development. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishing, 1991, p.45–103.