Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Adoption of consistent behavioral habits in childhood takes place at home, with the parents especially the mother, being the primary model for behavior. Tooth brushing habits which is learnt during early years of life, is deeply ingrained in the child's mind and it is expected that this leads to an adaptation of good oral hygiene in their later life.Objectives: To assess the tooth brushing habits of preschool children and to determine the role and amount of supervision given to them by parents.Study design: A pretested self-designed questionnaire was used to collect information from parents of 130 preschool children in Anganwadi and Kindergarten in Mangalore. Statistical analysis was done and Chi-square test was used.Results: Tooth brushing habits in these children was started at a mean age of 22.4 months (SD 8.4).62% of the preschool children used toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning teeth and brushing habits were mainly (84%) introduced by mothers. Seventy-one percent of the children were cooperative when they were introduced to tooth brushing.Conclusion: Preschool children of Mangalore were introduced to tooth brushing at a mean age of 22.4 months. Mothers played a vital role in introducing and teaching the child how to brush. In children less than 10 months of age tooth brushing was not started at all.How to cite this article: Pullishery F, Panchmal GS, Shenoy R. Parental Attitudes and Tooth Brushing Habits in Preschool Children in Mangalore, Karnataka: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013;6(3):156-160.
Highlights
Tooth brushing habits in these children was started at a mean age of 22.4 months (SD 8.4).62% of the preschool children used toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning teeth and brushing habits were mainly (84%) introduced by mothers
Preschool children of Mangalore were introduced to tooth brushing at a mean age of 22.4 months
Tooth brushing habits which are learnt during early years of life, are deeply ingrained in the child’s mind and this may leads to adoption of good oral hygiene methods in later life
Summary
Tooth brushing habits which are learnt during early years of life, are deeply ingrained in the child’s mind and this may leads to adoption of good oral hygiene methods in later life. Studies indicating an increase in severity of dental caries suggest mothers neither stress upon nor teach their children healthy lifestyles from birth.[4] Young children’s health behaviors and outcomes are influenced by their parent’s knowledge and beliefs, which affect oral hygiene and healthy eating habits. Without basic knowledge of caries risk factors and how to take care of teeth, it is difficult to employ effective disease prevention strategies.[5] The parents, especially mothers are influential figures in determining children’s behavior. Tooth brushing habits which is learnt during early years of life, is deeply ingrained in the child’s mind and it is expected that this leads to an adaptation of good oral hygiene in their later life
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