Abstract:

Purpose: Our study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and attitudes of children’s patients on their parents’ protective practices in oral and dental health. Material-Method: A survey form was applied to the parents of children’s patients who apply to our clinic between August and December 2018 with information and attitudes on oral and dental health and protective practices. Identifying statistics were used in the statistical assessment of the data obtained. The study included a total of 1024 parents. The majority of the parents who participated in the study found that they were aware of the dental check frequency (66.4 percent), that brushing was effective in preventing tooth fractures (93.6 percent) and that the teeth should be brushed twice a day (58.1 percent). Nevertheless, it was found that babies had no sufficient information about the time of consumption of sugar foods (24,%), the first visit to the dentist (22,9), the age of starting to brush the teeth (16,4), and how old families should help their children to brush the teeth (20,3). It was also found that 60.3 percent of parents did not know the effects of using flowered toothpaste to prevent tooth fractures and 93.9 percent did not know the effects of pit and fissure covering. It was also found that their attitudes were not in the right direction because the parents had insufficient knowledge about the protective practices in oral and dental health. The conclusion: We believe that educational programmes to the community should be organized in order to increase the level of knowledge and attitude of parents about the protective practices in oral and dental health and to create awareness, that children should have a good oral and dental health and that children should be in cooperation with children’s dentists and parents for a poor generation.

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