PARENTAL AWARENESS TO BABY BOTTLE TOOTH DECAY IN KSA

Background: Preventive oral health of a child is dependent on the parental knowledge toward caries control, care of deciduous tooth, use of space maintainers for malocclusion, and utilization of various procedures available for preventing oral diseases by oral health professionals. This study was aimed to assess the attitude and awareness of preventive dentistry among parents residing in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire study was conducted among 941 parents. Questionnaire was sent through the use of social media, and responses were collected.

Results: The study included 941 participants. Among them there were 692 mothers (73.5%) and 249 fathers (26.5%). The educational level of most of participants was college (n= 576, 61.2%). It is noticed from table one that most of participants agreed with the symptoms listed in the study questionnaire. They strongly agreed on black or brown spots on the teeth is the main symptom of tooth decay. The most prevalent preventive measure was limiting sugary drinks followed by proper teeth brushing.  There was statistically significant relationship between proper teeth brushing and level of education (P= 0.001).

Conclusion: Awareness about preventive dentistry was more among Saudi parents, but utilization rate was directly correlated to their education and income. After The utilization of preventive procedures was significant according to education (P < 0.05).

Keywords: Dental services, malocclusion, preventive procedures, primary teeth