Parental knowledge and attitudes to oral health

Key Points

• This study has found strong relationships between parental socio-demographic characteristics and levels of dental knowledge and attitude.

• Lack of further education, living in a deprived area and being Asian meant that parents had less chance of scoring highly for levels of dental knowledge and having a positive dental attitude.

• Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the ethnicity of parents was the factor of most significance above deprivation.

• This knowledge may allow oral health promotion interventions to be targeted at those communities who have the greatest need.

Abstract

Objective To determine if parental socio-demographic characteristics are associated with dental knowledge and attitude.

Design A questionnaire survey of 500 consecutive parents with children aged approximately 8-months, attending clinics in 1999/2000, in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, for health visitor distraction-hearing tests.

Outcome measures Scores were obtained for dental knowledge and attitudes. The socio-demographic variables of parental ethnicity, age, education and area of residence were used to determine any associations.

Results Parental age ranged between 16–46 years. Child age ranged between 7–11 months. Significant differences were detected for parental dental knowledge according to ethnicity (p = 0.003), educational status (p = 0.000), and area of residence (p = 0.016). Significant differences were also found in dental attitudes; ethnicity (p = 0.000), educational status (p = 0.004) and area of residence (p = 0.005). Parental age was not significant for either knowledge or attitude.

Conclusions Lack of further education, being Asian and living in a deprived area means parents have less chances of high dental knowledge and positive dental attitudes.

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