Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Mothers toward Infant Oral Care Living in Rural Areas of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Abstract Context: Early childhood caries is the most frequent chronic illness in young children which affects their overall well-being. It is crucial to educate mothers regarding infant oral care since the young children are dependent on their mothers for their basic needs. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) of mothers toward infant oral care living in rural areas. Settings and Design: The study was an observational study. Materials and Methods: A total of 630 mothers of infants aged 0–2 years living in rural areas of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, were included in the study using multistage sampling. A validated 25-item questionnaire was used to assess the KAPs of mothers regarding infant oral care. After collecting the filed questionnaires, participants were educated on infant oral health. A scoring scale was given for the responses of each question to assess the total scores of each participant. Statistical Analysis Used: This was descriptive statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 25.06 ± 3.7 years. Among the studied population, about 51.4% of the participants had poor knowledge about infant oral hygiene, 74.1% of the participants had positive attitude toward infant oral care, and 58.5% of the participants had satisfactory levels of infant oral hygiene practices. Conclusion: The majority of the infants’ mothers had poor knowledge about infant oral care and followed unsatisfactory infant oral hygiene practices. However, they exhibited a positive attitude toward infant oral care.