Maternal Self-efficacy in Oral Health Care of Preschool Children

Self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their capacity to reach specific goals and is an important basis for behavior. Mothers play a decisive role in children's Oral Health (OH). The aim of this study was to determine the maternal self-efficacy in OH care of preschool children.

This descriptive-analytical research was conducted among 652 women with 3 to 6-year-old children in Kermanshah city in 2019. The participants were selected using simple random sampling from among the mothers who referred to health centers. The data was collected by a self-reporting written questionnaire.

Family economic status (ß = 0.179 and P < 0.001), and mother education (ß = 0.104 and P = 0.032) were predictors of maternal self-efficacy in OH care of children. Mothers received about half of the score of the self-efficacy questionnaire. Maternal self-efficacy in OH care was lower when they felt stress, depression, and anxiety.

Mothers obtained about half of the score of the self-efficacy questionnaire. The necessity of developing and implementing interventions to improve maternal self-efficacy in OH care is felt, especially for mothers with lower education and Families with a weaker economic status.