Keywords: caries, prevention, DMFT index

Aim:

To determine the correlation between parental habits and attitudes and children oral health status. To compare the effectiveness of different approaches in children dental screenings. Insufficient oral health knowledge importance by parents results in a worse clinical oral cavity status in children.

Method:

The research uses a combined approach that includes qualitative (DMFT index, parental attitude questionnaire), quantitative (semi-structured interviews with dentists, pediatricians, dental, pediatric nurses), intervention methods (sending written invitations to parents of two-year-olds to their personal addresses, as well as through an open public invitation), to investigate the factors influencing preschool-aged children oral health.

Results:

The questionnaire was completed by the parents of 364 children who underwent a dental examination and DMFT index determination. In total, 83% of children have cavities, 10.3% have had a tooth extracted, 6.7% have a tooth under a filling, and 77.7% have visited a dentist at least once. Most parents (87.4%) reported that they brush their children's teeth in the first or second year of life. In 65.9% of cases, parents are aware that their child has teeth affected by caries, and 47.8% of children with carious teeth had them treated. In total, 84.3% of children consume sweets daily, 44.8% of parents reported that their children consume sweetened beverages daily. Invitations for dental screenings were sent by mail to 300 parents of two-year-olds. In total, 26.3% of children responded to the invitation and underwent a dental screening. From the control group (300 children who did not receive the invitation by mail), no children underwent a screening (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

To achieve maximum response and validity of the study, the implementation of combined methods is recommended, including personal calls, public campaigns, cooperation with primary healthcare institutions. Such an approach ensures greater involvement and increases preventive programs effectiveness.