THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE ORAL HYGIENE OF CHILDREN AGED 3-5 YEARS

Abstract

Given the high prevalence of caries in deciduous and permanent teeth in children worldwide, it is necessary to expand educational programs for students at various levels, to engage in health education initiatives targeting parents, teachers, and policymakers. Such efforts aim to foster interest and awareness among stakeholders involved in shaping health policies. Our study aimed to assess the efficacy of the "Form for recording oral hygiene skills of children aged 3 to 5 years," developed by our team, as a means to enhance children's oral hygiene proficiency. Following the implementation of preventive measures in the first group, we observed a notable enhancement in the oral hygiene index, decreasing from 1.71 to 1.55 points between the initial and final assessments. This improvement correlates with the advancement of children's practical skills with age, alongside the active involvement of parents in their children's oral care routines. In the second group, the hygiene index significantly worsened with each examination. A comparison of this index between the groups at the second and third examinations revealed a significant difference. Children were also divided into groups, which we monitored according to the state of oral hygiene. In the first group, 45.7% of children had good oral hygiene during the first examination, 53.3% during the second, and 72.4% during the third. This rise can be attributed to a decrease in cases of children exhibiting poor hygiene, dropping from 20% to 6.9%. In the second group, children with good hygiene decreased from 51.4% to 28%. The group average remained satisfactory at each visit, but the number of children with poor hygiene increased from 14.3% to 52%. All of the above is aimed at reducing caries of temporary teeth, which is the main unresolved issue of modern pediatric dentistry.