
Abstarct Background: The knowledge, awareness and attitude of parents toward oral health is an important determinant of oral health of children. The research evaluated parents' knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and obstacles to dental care in a pediatric dentistry outpatient department.Methods: A cross-sectional interview-based study was carried out in 2017 using a structured 24-item questionnaire on 138 parents of children aged 3-12 years to assess their demographic characteristics, knowledge, awareness, attitude, and dental practices.Results: The results show that parents lacked knowledge of child oral health. A total of 71.0% of parents correctly identified bacterial plaque and sugar as a likely cause of caries. However, only 52.2% of parents appeared to be aware that fluoride and sealants could help prevent caries. Only 42 0% of the respondents were aware of the recommended first dental visit age (12 months). 41 3% of the respondents knew the appropriate frequency of sugary snacks. Almost 90% of the population agree that early visits prevent future problems. But only 18.1% of the population visited for preventive dental visits. More than half of visits were due to pain. 71.0% of the participants had parents who supervised their tooth brushing while 62.3% of the children consumed sugarsnacks/beverages daily. The study revealed that primary barrier for child ‘s dental care was financial constraint (48.6%)’. next barrier in the order of merit was unawareness of preventive services (31.2%), access to dental facilities (21.0%), parental’s dental anxiety (15.9%).Conclusion: In conclusion, although parents had moderate knowledge about caries etiology and the importance of primary teeth, it is evident from the study that there were significant gaps in their knowledge regarding preventive practice, the right timing of the dental visit, and the implementation of recommended oral health behaviors. There is a need for comprehensive parental education programs and policies tackling socioeconomic barriers to promote better children’s oral health. Download Full Article.PDF DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17737642 Bangladesh Journal of Dental Research & Education official publication of Bangladesh Academy of Dentistry International (BADI)® ISSN (Online): 2308-9733 ISSN (Print): 2225-9015 ZENODO@BJDRE,BADI® OpenAIRE | EXPLOR@BJDRE,BADI® ORCiD@BJDRE,BADI®
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
