Abstract
Aim: This cross sectional survey was carried out to explore and identify attitudes and beliefs amongst pediatric patient caregivers at their first visit to (KHOP) dentistry public sector clinics in Amman-Jordan.
Highlights
The mouth serves as a “window” to the rest of the body, providing an indicator of general health and a sign/symptom of a systemic disorder [1]
This cross sectional survey included a sample of children (n=333) visiting the pediatric dentistry clinic for the first time, the study included all healthy non-syndromic or medically compromised children aged between 4-10 years accompanied by their primary caregiver/s, Only the primary caregivers were identified and recruited, children accompanied by other family member/relatives were excluded
Caregiver’s beliefs and knowledge were assessed with three questions, the first was: When should a child’s regular tooth brushing start? 60% of caregivers believe it should start at 5-6 years of age, 25% said it can begin at 8-9 years of age, and only 15% knew that tooth brushing should begin as early as teeth begin to erupt in their child’s oral cavity at 2-3 years of age
Summary
The mouth serves as a “window” to the rest of the body, providing an indicator of general health and a sign/symptom of a systemic disorder [1]. Educating young children for better oral hygiene practices starts from building the knowledge and dental awareness into their primary caregivers, parents and school supervisors; this will raise the young child’s oral and dental appreciation and enhance their early care practices. These effective oral hygiene habits lead to long term maintenance of hard and soft oral tissues [10]; it minimizes the burden on medical and dental care health providers on national scales
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