The oral health status of the preschool child according to the oral health management behaviors performed by their parents

Ha-Na Choi   Ji-Won Lee*   Sung-Min Lee1   

Department of Dental Hygiene, Jeonju Kijeon College
1Jeonju Kijeon College Kindergarten

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of parents’ oral health management behavior towards children on children’s oral health. Methods: Dental examination were done to 82 children, and a survey was conducted to 82 parents of them. This researcher conducted multiple regression analysis to figure out how parents’ oral health management behavior towards their children influences their oral health condition. Results: Among the kinds of parents’ oral health management behavior towards their children, when they received a lower score in guidance for dietary control, children tended to have more dt index. Among the kinds of parents’ oral health management behavior towards their children, guidance for tooth brushing and guidance for oral care influenced their children’s O’leary index. When they received a higher score in guidance for tooth brushing and guidance for oral care, their children’s O’leary index became lower. Conclusions: This study has found that parents’ dietary guidance provided to children influences their dt index, and O’leary index, one of the major causes of dental caries, is influenced by parents’ guidance for tooth-brushing and guidance for oral care. Therefore, we should realize that according to the degree of parents’ interest in children’s oral care, children’s state of oral health can be changed, and parents should acquire proper knowledge about oral health and instruct and train their children desirably.

Acknowledgements

본 연구는 2017년 전주기전대학 커플링사업단 연구비 지원에 의하여 연구되었음.

Figures & Tables

Table 1. Oral care behaviors for children according to the general characteristics