Oral Health Practices Research Articles

A clínica em odontologia: nexos e desconexões com a clínica ampliada de saúde bucal

Abstract This article aimed to understand the representation that the clinic assumes in dental practices, in a medium-sized municipality in the state of Santa Catarina. It is a qualitative study, whose participants were dental surgeons linked to public oral health services. Data were collected with three focus groups. The audio-recorded material was transcribed and analyzed with the help of the dialectical hermeneutics. In the first category of analysis - clinic conception -, the participants demonstrated difficulty in formulating a concept for the clinic, translating it as the development of technical procedures, understood as being central to this type of practice for dentists. Integrality and resolvability appeared as central elements, but assume a dentistry-centered view. In the category “resources and organization of the dental clinic,” the advantages of using the electronic medical records and the limitations of tab division that narrow the access to information were observed. In treatment systematics, there is little room for listening and the odontogram emerges as a synonym for treatment plan, reinforcing the tooth-focused character of the practices developed. The study showed diversified challenges to incorporating the clinic, whether understood in the traditional molds or in a broader way, in the practices developed by the study participants.

Oral Health Status and Dental Treatment Needs among Children with and without Hearing Impairment in Hyderabad, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim: The study aimed to assess the oral health status and dental treatment needs of children with hearing impairment (CHI) and children without hearing impairment (HI). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 CHI and 105 children without HI (13–18 years) in Hyderabad, India from February–March 2019. Two special schools (for CHI) and one government (regular) school were selected by purposive sampling. American Dental Association Type-4 dental examination was conducted at respective school premises and modified World Health Organization Oral Health Assessment form, 2013 was used to record the oral health findings. Chi-square test/Fisher’s exact test and Z-test were calculated at P < 0.05. Results: Prevalence of dental caries was 69% and 26% among CHI and children without HI, respectively (P < 0.001). Good oral hygiene, as determined by oral hygiene index scores, was merely 31.8% among CHI compared to 82.9% in children without HI. CHI in need of any dental treatment was higher at 89.1% compared to 43.8% of children without HI. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that CHI has a higher prevalence of dental caries than children without HI in Hyderabad, India. This high prevalence of caries among CHI represents the unmet dental needs and neglect of their oral health care. Oral health promotion is the need of the hour to help nurture good oral health practices among children in general and CHI in particular.

Exploring oral health practices and status: A comparative analysis between normal children and those with special needs

Exploring oral health practices and status: A comparative analysis between normal children and those with special needs

Oral health-related knowledge, practice and their associated factors among mothers in a rural municipality of Eastern Nepal

Introduction: Oral Health status in children has been shown to be related with oral health patterns learned through the childhood. The children acquire health behaviors from their mothers. Objective: This study aims to assess the oral health related knowledge and practice among mothers in a rural municipality of Eastern Nepal and explore the factors associated with these outcomes. Methods: A randomly selected 268 women either pregnant or having children of less than 6 years of age were interviewed in April- June, 2019 to assess their knowledge and practice regarding oral health. Data was entered using Epidata 3.1. Response on knowledge and practice were presented as frequency and proportion and compared with different maternal variables using inferential statistics. Results: Mean age of the participating women was 25.9 years (SD 5.3). Three participants were pregnant (primigravida). Majority (96.7%) of respondents reported brushing their teeth at least once a day. Only 9.3% reported using fluoridated toothpaste for their children. Similarly, majority (69.4%) of participants had knowledge about wiping baby’s gums after breastfeeding or after letting child bottle feed. Literacy was found to significantly influence the participants’ brushing frequency, brushing technique, practice of brushing or wiping their child’s teeth and gums. Conclusions: Oral health related knowledge among mothers and their practice were found to be unsatisfactory across several domains. Further, these outcomes were found to be influenced by several maternal characteristics. Assessing knowledge-practice gap on oral health resulting from maternal characteristics can provide a basis for providing training to women on necessary parenting skills.

Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status and Practices among a Sample of 12-Year-Old Chepang Children of Nepal

Introduction: Hygienic oral health practices are necessary from a young age to ensure positive long-term oral and general health. The oral hygiene status and practices among the underprivileged Chepang children of Nepal have not been adequately assessed.
 Objective: To assess the oral hygiene status and practices among the 12-year-old Chepang children of Nepal, and to identify the association of demographic variables and oral hygiene practices with the oral hygiene status of the children.
 Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study where a pretested questionnaire was used to assess the oral hygiene practices and the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) to examine the status of oral hygiene among 160 Chepang children of central Nepal. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS v.17. Statistical significance was determined using an independent t-test and an ANOVA test.
 Results: The study showed that 68 (42.5%) of the 12-year-old Chepang children had good oral hygiene, 68 (42.5%) had fair oral hygiene, and only 24 (15%) had poor oral hygiene. The mean OHI-S score for them was 1.62±1.09. Most of the children (138, 86.3%) regularly brushed their teeth and rinsed their mouth after meals (117, 73.1%), but tongue cleaning was performed by only 36 (22.5%) of them.
 Conclusions: The study showed that oral hygiene intervention programs are needed for the Chepang children who do not go to schools and who do not stay at hostels.

Associations between Maternal Education and Child Nutrition and Oral Health in an Indigenous Population in Ecuador.

The global nutrition transition has increased the prevalence of childhood dental caries. Greater understanding is needed of the impact of social determinants-including maternal education-on child oral health. This is a cross-sectional analysis of a convenience sample of families of 458 indigenous Ecuadorian children aged 6 months through 6 years from 2011-2013. Data was collected by mother interviews and child dental and anthropometric examinations. Multivariate logistic and Zero-Inflated-Poisson regression analyses assessed associations between years of maternal education and maternal-child oral health practices and child oral health outcomes. Each additional year of maternal education was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with some healthier practices including greater likelihood of mothers and children drinking milk daily (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.08, 1.34); and less healthy practices including greater likelihood of bottle-feeding children with sugary liquids (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.06, 1.22) and to older age, giving children sweets daily, calming children with a bottle or sweets, and less likelihood of helping brush their children's teeth (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88, 0.98). Each year of maternal education had a small but statistically non-significant influence on increasing the odds of children being among those who are cavity-free (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.92, 1.16). Interventions to improve health outcomes should focus not just on maternal education but also address social and commercial determinants of health through nutrition and oral health education, as well as policies to reduce sugar and ensure universal access to oral health care.

Oral health perceptions and practices of caregivers at children’s religious schools and foster care centers: a qualitative exploratory study in Lahore, Pakistan

BackgroundOral diseases are one of the major public health problems worldwide and affect the population of all age groups. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of caregivers at care centres and boarding religious schools responsible for managing children’s oral health.MethodsA qualitative ethnomethodological approach was used to collect data from the caregivers at the children’s religious schools and foster care centres. A purposive sampling technique was used to conduct focus group discussions comprising 4–7 caregivers from five foster care centres and religious schools located in Lahore, Pakistan.An interview guide was developed based on results from previous studies. An inductive approach was used to analyse data on broader oral health concepts to generate themes in this qualitative research. A three-step thematic analysis was applied to develop codes that were merged to generate categories and to conclude into themes from the transcribed data. Five focus group discussions were conducted at two foster care centres (FG1 & FG2) and three religious schools (FG3, FG4 & FG5). Foster care centres had children of both gender within the same premises; however, religious schools had segregated settings.ResultsThe following four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: development of the desired living environment and responsibilities of the caregivers, preexisting traditional personal knowledge of the caregivers determine children’s oral health, use of religio-cultural driven and convenience-based oral hygiene practices, and ethnomedicine, spiritual healing, and self-medication. Development and the existing living environment of the foster care centres and religious schools appeared important to manage the matters of the boarding children.ConclusionsThis qualitative study concludes that the oral health of the children at foster care centres and at religious schools depends upon the personal reasoning and pre-existing religio-cultural knowledge of the caregivers rather than on specialized oral health-oriented approaches. The foster care centres are more involved in supervising the children to maintain oral hygiene and oral health compared to religious schools.

Self-reported oral hygiene practice and utilization of dental services by dental technology students in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Dental technology students are Dental surgery technicians under training, trained to assist patients maintain good oral health. Hence, their oral hygiene is expected to be optimal. To determine the oral self-care practices and pattern of utilization of dental services among dental technology students. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study, consisting of 109 participants. The questionnaire had three sections. Section A had questions on sociodemographic, section B was on self-reported oral hygiene practices and section C was on pattern of dental service utilization. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS version 20.0. The mean age was 23.66 years; age range was 18 - 42 years. There were 20 males and 89 females, 95.41% of the participants used toothbrushes and paste, while 4.59% used both chewing sticks and toothbrushes. 22% used horizontal/scrub method of toothbrushing, 10.1% used modified bass method, whereas 5.0% do not know which method of toothbrushing they use. 81.3% of the participants had visited the dentist previously for routine dental check-up while 10.71% visited for dental pain. The self-reported oral hygiene practice of the dental technology students is commendable, however, further education on the importance of scaling and polishing is advocated.

ASSESSING INTERPROFESSIONAL ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND PRACTICE FACILITATION OUTCOMES WITHIN LONG-TERM CARE

Abstract Older adults residing in long-term care (LTC) settings are at an increased risk of poor oral health due to comorbidities and limited ability to provide self-care. Routine oral care is essential for maintaining overall health. Coupled with resident vulnerability is a traditional lack of training and focus on oral health care in LTC. MOTIVATE (Maine’s Oral Team-Based Initiative: Vital Access to Education) is a pilot (N = 8 sites) interprofessional education program focused on daily oral health care within LTC, providing education and technical assistance to advance staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes about oral health. An evaluation was carried out using a pre/post survey design with instruments administered immediately before and after learning module completion along with a survey administered one month after implementation. Knowledge, attitudes, and oral health practices were assessed. A statistical comparison between baseline (N = 491) and post-launch (N = 215) scores revealed a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.001) across all knowledge and attitudes measures including the perceived importance of oral health, understanding of interprofessional roles among the care team, the role of oral health in supporting resident dignity and quality of life, and confidence in providing oral health care. Factors facilitating the transfer of knowledge to practice (N = 478) included personal interest in the topic (46.4%), knowing where to obtain information when needed (47.6%), and knowing how to apply learning to LTC daily care responsibilities (62.4%). Findings underscore the importance of oral health training and implications for practice transformation in an interprofessional context.

Evaluating the oral health knowledge, attitude and practice among undergraduate students and staff at selected federal University in Imo state, Nigeria

Oral health is an essential component of an individual’s general health and overall well-being. Although past studies have evaluated oral health knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP), little is known about the level of KAP between students and staff of higher education institutions. This study aimed to evaluate oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among undergraduate students and staff at a selected University of Technology in Nigeria. A multicentre cross-sectional survey was conducted between May – June 2021 with a sample of 747 consisting of 378 students and 369 staff, recruited from 8 faculties across the University. One-way ANOVA test was applied for the statistical evaluation of numerical measures. The association between knowledge, attitudes and practice scores were assessed using Pearson correlation analyses (α=.0.05). No significant differences were found in the oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices between the students and staff (P>0.05). Overall, the finding suggests that 84.3% of the respondents had a positive attitude toward oral health, 92.5% had high knowledge and 87.4% practised oral health was adequate. The respondents KAP differed by socio-demographic characteristics. The relationship between knowledge and practice was fair (r = 0.358, p < 0.01) while positive weak correlations were observed between attitude and practice (r = 0.198, p < 0.01), and between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.173, p < 0.01). The salient feature of this study suggests that while there was a high level of knowledge among the respondents, the attitude and actual practice of oral healthcare does not commensurate with the level of knowledge. Nonetheless, it was found that knowledge had positive associations with the practice of oral health care. The findings suggest there is a need to improve the knowledge about oral health practice among both staff and students through a tailored design of community based awareness to increase oral health practice.

Oral Health Barriers for African American Caregivers of Autistic Children.

The most persistent oral health disparities in the United States impact children from racial and ethnic minoritized groups and children diagnosed as autistic. This paper aims to describe barriers to oral care as depicted by Black/African American (B/AA) parents of autistic children to further explore how and why oral health disparities persist in this population. A purposeful sample of eleven caregivers of autistic children, ages 4 to 14 years, who identified as B/AA were interviewed twice for approximately 60-90 min each. Thematic analysis utilizing a narrative approach was employed. Three themes emerged from the data concerning the barriers that affect oral health experiences: (a) difficulty in maintaining good oral health practices, (b) challenges with access to care and resources, and (c) poor patient-provider relationships. Due to the limited research that examines the intersection of autism, B/AA culture, and oral health practices, this study provides a rich picture of the barriers families face when obtaining oral care. Many families raised issues that other parents of autistic children also identified. B/AA caregivers have demonstrated that despite their own negative dental experiences, they understand the value of good oral care practices and are willing to pursue oral care for their children.

Oral health-care needs among clients receiving alcohol and other drugs treatment-A scoping review.

Poor oral health is a significant problem among people who access alcohol and other drugs (AOD) health services, yet little is known about their oral health-care needs and whether any interventions and guidelines are implemented within AOD treatment services. A scoping review was conducted to identify scientific literature in three focus areas: oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices of clients and clinicians at AOD-related services; oral health guidelines for AOD clinicians; and interventions that describe clinicians promoting oral health among clients. Thirty-two reports were identified. Twenty-three studies focused on the oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices of AOD clients, but none of the studies explored perspectives of clinicians. Seven clinical practice guidelines were identified but recommendations varied. Only two interventions in which an AOD clinician promoted oral health were identified. Most reports provided insight into the perspectives of clients accessing AOD treatment services. Little evidence demonstrated that clinical practice guidelines were being implemented into practice, or that oral health promotion was part of the tasks of AOD clinicians. This review identified oral health knowledge gaps and perceived poor attitudes that appeared to be reflected in certain oral health practices among clients. This finding indicates a need to educate clients about oral health while receiving AOD treatment. There was an absence of research about the needs for AOD clinicians to advocate for good oral health, and little evidence exists about effective interventions that could enhance integrating oral health care into AOD treatment services.

Association between Demographic Factors Parental Oral Health Knowledge and their Influences on the Dietary and Oral Hygiene Practices followed by Parents in Children of 2-6 Years in Buraidah City Saudi Arabia: A Pilot Study.

Preschool children's oral hygiene maintenance is greatly prejudiced by their parent's knowledge and understanding regarding oral health. When parents are devoid of the basic awareness of caries-associated factors, the significance of primary teeth, and oral healthcare, it is challenging to program disease prevention strategies and apply them effectively. This pilot study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding oral health, its effects, and the influence of demographic values on the parental practices among the parents of 2-6-year-old children by using a self-administered pretested questionnaire. The questionnaire was randomly distributed among parents of 2-6-year-old children who visited Buraidah Central Hospital. The sample size taken for this pilot study was 1,000. The questionnaire included 26 questions associated with the parent's knowledge about the oral health of the child, hygiene maintenance, and dietary habits. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS software. In the present research, a total of 1,000 parents participated in the study. It was observed that parental knowledge and hygiene practices increased as the educational status increased. It was also observed that as the number of children decreased in the family, the dietary practices and hygiene practices improved. All these observations were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Parent's education and knowledge reflect in their child's development of healthy practices. Thus the parents need to know about oral health, which can be put into practice in their children. This research helps us to understand the significance of parental knowledge and education in the oral health practices and maintenance among the children inculcated by parents, which can help in bringing down the oral health diseases in children in future. Al Mejmaj DI, Nimbeni SB, Alrashidi RM. Association between Demographic Factors Parental Oral Health Knowledge and their Influences on the Dietary and Oral Hygiene Practices followed by Parents in Children of 2-6 Years in Buraidah City Saudi Arabia: A Pilot Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(4):407-411.

Does the use of miswak reduce plaque and gingivitis among adults?

Data sources Searches were performed using broad search terms and suitable Boolean operators and Medical Subject Headings terms on the electronic databases PubMed (US National Library archive), EBSCOHost (Dentistry and Oral Sciences) (US Corporate Research Database), Scopus (Elsevier Archive) and the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews with no relevant time limit.Study selection Randomised control trials were included where adults were participants and using miswak sticks to brush was the independent variable. The primary outcome reviewed was the effect on periodontal health, with secondary outcomes including oral health practices. Exclusion criteria were applied to studies including patients with orthodontic appliances.Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction was led by a single author, with further authors (where necessary) assessing accuracy and appropriateness. Data extracted included first author, publication year, study design and setting, sample size, description of the participant, the intervention and comparison, clinical measurements, assessment interval and wash-out period. An I2 test with confidence intervals was performed, showing the included studies to display heterogeneity in methodology and outcome measures. As such, a random effects model was used for the meta-analysis of effect size. Further subgroup analysis of the included papers was completed and presented in a forest plot format. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was employed.Results In total, 150 abstracts were screened, with ten RCTs included and nine utilised in a descriptive meta-analysis. The findings claimed that miswak offered similar outcomes to toothbrushing when considering mean plaque score (p = 0.08; SMD: 0.39 and 95% CI: 0.05-0.83) and mean gingivitis score (p = 0.37; SMD: 0.13, and 95% CI: 0.16-0.43). A further significant secondary outcome was noted, showing reduced mean plaque scores (p = 0.01; SMD: 0.68, and 95% CI: 0.14-1.22) and reduced gingivitis score (p = 0.04; SMD: 0.66, and 95% CI: 0.03-1.29) when miswak was used in addition to toothbrushing.Conclusions Miswak sticks may offer similar plaque reduction to brushing and may reduce plaque-induced gingivitis when used as an adjunct to toothbrushing. However, more evidence is required in this area.

Oral health knowledge and oral health behavior among first-year undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

This study aimed to determine oral health knowledge and practices among first-year undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and to compare the same among students of the health related (HRF) and non-health-related (NHRF) faculties. Data was collected from 504 students across eight faculties using an online questionnaire prior to commencing discipline-based academic programs. Mean scores for oral health knowledge and practices were 62.56±10.68 and 71.89±15.4, respectively. HRF students showed significantly higher scores for both parameters than NHRF students. Oral health knowledge was associated positively with age, parental education and female gender. Unsatisfactory knowledge scores were observed regarding inter-dental cleaning aids and awareness of oral health toward systemic health. The results revealed, undergraduates exposed to health-related subjects in their school career had better oral health knowledge and practices. Thus, incorporation of health studies for all students in school curricula is important. The level of knowledge and practices could be lower among young adults in the general population as the study sample consisted of only the highest achievers among the young adults. Therefore, oral health education programs are recommended to address knowledge deficits, increase awareness of interdental cleaning and the influence of oral health on systemic diseases.

Health professionals delivering oral health interventions in early childhood: A scoping review of Australian and New Zealand literature.

Dental caries is highly prevalent in very young Australian and New Zealand children. Health professionals other than registered dental professionals can help prevent early childhood caries, promoting oral health to assist families establish preventative oral health habits at a child's early age. This review identifies oral health promotion (OHP) delivered by nondental health professionals in Australia and New Zealand involving very young children. Databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Emcare, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Google Scholar, TROVE) and digital libraries were searched between 2001 and 2021 for eligible studies and grey literature. Studies with a focus on preventative oral health strategies in a primary health care context were included. The review identified 76 studies. Seven met the inclusion criteria, and were conducted in Australia across metropolitan, rural, and remote settings. Studies that successfully engaged nondental health professionals to promote oral health to families reported a positive change in oral health practices among very young children. Delivering OHP during a child's early life stage positively influenced their oral health outcomes. Integration of dental and primary health care increased access to oral health care and advanced positive oral health outcomes for children. With adequate training, resources, and support mechanisms, nondental health professionals can deliver oral health strategies that facilitate behaviour change in parents to improve children's oral health. So What? Health promotion generates enabling conditions that support and empower families to improve and maintain their oral health. Nondental health professionals can play a crucial role promoting oral health for very young children and improving equitable access to preventative oral health care.

A systematic review of the questionnaire used in oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices in 12 years old children in the Dental Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry Baiturrahmah University

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine a systematic review of the questionnaire used on oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices in children aged 12 years in the Dental Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry Baiturrahmah University.&#x0D; Methods: This type of research is a descriptive analytic study with are search design cross sectional. The population of this study was 12 year old children who came to the Paedodonti Department of Baiturrahmah Hospital in January 2020-March 2020 with a total sample of 68 people. The research was conducted at the Dental Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry Baiturrahmah University in January 2020-March 2020 using a questionnaire. The data obtained from this study were analyzed statistically using the application SPSS with descriptive analysis.&#x0D; Results: The results showed that the kueisoner review at the level of knowledge and attitude was very good, while the action was quite good.&#x0D; Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is where the level of knowledge and attitudes of 12 year olds at Dental Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry Baiturrahmah University, is already very good, while the actions pretty good. Knowledge, attitudes and actions of all these components play an important role in influencing the level of dental and oral hygiene in children.

Identification of Teacher Ability and Implementation of Dental and Oral Health Practices in Mental Retarded Children: Pilot Study

Introduction: Empowerment of teachers in maintaining oral hygiene is urgently needed to increase the value of mentally retarded dental and oral hygiene. Objective: This study aims to identify teacher abilities and implementation of dental and oral health practices in mentally retarded children. Materials and Method. The design of this study is an observational descriptive pilot study in the context of developing a learning model for dental and oral health in mentally retarded children. The research population was teachers and mentally retarded children at Special Schools in Jambi City. The research was conducted on teachers in 4 (four) special schools (SLB). Data are presented as numbers and percentages for categorical variables. Results: Before giving the Learning Model for maintaining oral health for mentally retarded children, the respondents had medium-high level knowledge. After the intervention, their knowledge increased to a high level. The dental and oral health learning model is routinely taught in schools. The teacher routinely teaches how to brush teeth; the teacher routinely guides tooth brushing practices; the teacher routinely practices tooth brushing in children. The frequency of carrying out tooth brushing at school is at most once a week. Conclusion: Most of the teachers' knowledge of mentally retarded children in SS is Poor, and implementation of dental and mouth health practices in Mentally Impaired Children is still low. Keywords: mentally retarded, dental and oral health, teacher

Oral health knowledge and practices among healthcare students of Al-Jouf province, Saudi Arabia.

Oral disease has an inverse relationship with good oral health practices. The present study was aimed at assessing the level of oral health knowledge and practices among healthcare students of Al-Jouf province, Saudi Arabia. All male and female students from the first to the fifth year of studying in different colleges (medical, dental, and college of allied health sciences) in Jouf University were included as the study sample. The study included 20 structured questions. Among the 20 questions, 12 related to oral health practices and 8 related to oral health knowledge. Chi-squared test was used to determine the association among variables, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between the scores of oral health knowledge and oral health practices. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to see if there was any statistically significant association (P > 0.05) of knowledge and practice scores with level, gender, and college of study. The overall mean oral health knowledge score was 4.9 ± 2.3. The range for oral health practice score was from 0 to 12, and the overall mean score was 6.8 ± 2.9. Our observations concluded that the overall knowledge level of the students toward oral health was low, and visiting a dentist for regular dental checkup were not given importance by the students. Health practices of students and their knowledge towards oral health determines what and how they educate their patients in the future to create better oral health in society.

Parents’ Behavior as an Indicator for Children’s Oral Health

Objective: Children are exceptional imitators of the surrounding people in the early childhood period. They use imitation as a mechanism in cognitive development. This study was designed to assess the effect of parents' oral health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP), socioeconomic status, occupational type, and educational level on their children`s oral health status in Sulaimani city. &#x0D; Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 490 children at the mixed dentition stage. They were examined for oral health status with dmft and DMFT indices following WHO criteria at different Pedodontics clinics in the city. Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice, in addition to the parent's socioeconomic status and educational level, were assessed through a structured questionnaire. &#x0D; Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated that children’s dmft/DMFT scores were strongly and positively associated with their parents` KAP, socioeconomic status, and educational level. Furthermore, the marital status of the parents had a direct impact on the children's oral health. Additionally, children of parents in the medical profession were presented with significantly better oral health. &#x0D; Conclusions: Oral health of the children represented by dmft/DMFT scores were significantly affected by the KAP, educational level, profession type, and marital status of their parents. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to consider the parents in children’s oral health improvements.