Evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers Visiting Dental Clinics in Isfahan about Two-Five-Year-Old Children's Dental Care

Since many deformities, oral diseases, and oral hygiene habits are formed in two-five-year-old children, mothers have a critical role in promoting their children's oral health.
To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers toward dental and oral care of two-five-year-old children.
This descriptive-analytic study was conducted in 2013-14. Mothers who visited dental clinics in Isfahan (Iran) were selected through stratified multistage sampling. Three questionnaires were administered to assess mother's knowledge, attitude, and performance regarding their children’s oral health. Five other items were also included to evaluate the participants’ personal and family characteristics. The collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS 17.0. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.
Low (0-5), moderate (6-10), and high levels of knowledge about oral health were found in (8.6%), (47.4%), and (44%) mothers, respectively. While none of the mothers had negative attitudes (0-23), neutral (23-69) and positive (69-88) attitudes were present in (40.1%) and (59.9%) participants, respectively. There was a significantly relationship between knowledge and employment status (P Mothers’ knowledge and performance toward their children’s oral health was undesirable. Therefore, health education programs are required to promote the knowledge of mothers in this regard.