Relationship of Mother's Behavior With The Risk of Dental Caries in Children in Arifa Kindergarten, Banda City, Aceh

Abstract

Maintaining teeth and mouth is very important and must be considered, especially for mothers in maintaining dental health for children. School-age children have a high risk of developing caries due to dietary factors, fluoride use, bottle feeding, and parents' level of knowledge and behavior related to dental and oral care. In kindergarten-age children, dental and oral care still depends on the mother, who is the closest figure to a child. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavior of mothers in caring for children's teeth on the incidence of child caries in Arifa Kindergarten, Banda Aceh City. The study used a cross-sectional analytic method on 30 mothers and their children. Mothers were given a questionnaire to determine their knowledge and behavior in caring for children's teeth; then, an oral examination was carried out to determine the caries index of children from mothers who had filled out the questionnaire. The study's results found a relationship between maternal behavior and the risk of dental caries in children at Arifa Kindergarten, Banda Aceh City, as evidenced by the value of the chi-square statistic test p=0.034 (α=0.05). The analysis of 30 mothers showed 12 respondents had less behavior and 9 with a high caries risk category. Eighteen respondents had good behavior, and 11 had caries risk in the moderate category. There is a relationship between the behavior of mothers in caring for children's teeth to the incidence of child caries in Arifa Kindergarten, Banda Aceh City.