Abstract
According to the current paradigm for promoting health, dental care should be a consideration from the first months of life, or even before birth. The aim of this paper is to evaluate mothers' knowledge of and attitude toward their babies' oral health after receiving guidance during the neonatal period. Forty-six mothers were contacted and asked about the advice they had received and how they felt about the information provided. The mothers recruited for the study were divided into two groups, A (n=25) and B (n=21), according to the time elapsed since their participation in the project, that is, less than or equal to three months and more than three months, respectively. A Wilcoxom rank sum test did not show any statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). Guidance on the baby's oral hygiene, breastfeeding the baby exclusively until the sixth month, as well as the restrictions imposed on sugar intake were what the mothers remembered most. Recommendations concerning good arch development and the use of bottles were what mothers remembered least. Regarding infant oral health, it would be advisable to schedule prenatal and neonatal visits, with the second post-natal consultation no later than four months after childbirth.
Highlights
Certain attitudes related to oral health, such as eating habits and oral hygiene, are established very early in life[11]
In view of the importance of assessing a health program, and of the innovative approach proposed by the Lying-In Pediatric Dentistry” (LIPD)/University of Goias (UFG) project, the aim of this study was to evaluate the repercussions of neonatal dental guidance on the knowledge and attitudes of mothers who took part in the program
The University Hospital maternity ward follows the protocol of a child-friendly hospital initiative (CFHI), a world-wide campaign which aims at transforming maternity services into breastfeeding-supportive institutions
Summary
Certain attitudes related to oral health, such as eating habits and oral hygiene, are established very early in life[11]. The main objective of this program is to present different aspects of mother and baby oral health to University Hospital (UH) maternity ward patients. This is done by examining the mouth of the neonate and giving onsite orientation sessions, which include oral hygiene maintenance procedures. During these sessions, topics such as breastfeeding, the use of bottles, the transmissibility of caries, consumption of sugar and oral habits, among others, are discussed with each mother, on an individual basis
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