The Influence of Preschool Children's Mothers on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Using Fluoride Toothpaste

Abstract

Dental caries in Sri Lanka appears to be a significant problem, especially among preschool children. The effect of caries prevention in the primary teeth of preschool children through the use of fluoridated dentifrices and prevention programs has not been widely addressed. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out by recruiting 635 mothers and their children in Panadura, Sri Lanka. Multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used and preschools considered as clusters to select the sample. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices. Only 66% (n=418) of mothers had fair knowledge and 2.8% (n=18) had good knowledge and the mean of the total knowledge score was 3.2 (SD ± 1.7) out of 7. Seventy four point six (n=472) had favourable attitude towards fluoridate toothpaste.83.1% of mothers and 76.6% children were using fluoridated toothpaste. 83.6% of mothers and 83.6% of children brushed their teeth twice or more than twice daily. A pea sized amount or more of toothpaste was used by 79.2% of children and 52.3% of children’s teeth were cleaned by a parent or a grandparent.81.8% of children had started using toothpaste at the age of one year or before. The results of the present study highlight the importance of giving instructions on caring for baby’s teeth during pregnancy including the selection of toothpaste for the child, time of initiation of using toothpaste, amount of toothpaste that should be used for the particular age group.