A step to infant oral health promotion intervention among parents

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AIM: Providing oral health care to children from infant to toddler age can be achieved by educating and informing parents about their children’s oral health. The aims of this study were to determine the basic knowledge of oral health and to evaluate the efficacy of an infant oral health education programme among parents in Turkey. METHODS: Study Design: One hundred and fifty parents of infants between 3 and 12 months of age attending the well-baby clinic, Dr. Behcet Uz Children’s Hospital (Izmir, Turkey), participated in the study. A pre-test questionnaire was administered to each parent to assess their infant oral health knowledge. The educational intervention was in the form of a 30-minute interactive explanation of a PowerPoint presentation. The parents completed a post-test after the education in the same session (a questionnaire was administered). RESULTS: The range of correct answers on the pre-test was 7–20 of 26 with a mean of 13.7 (SD=2.76). The range of correct answers on the post-test was 12–26 of 26 with a mean of 21.2 (SD=3.34). The difference of correct responses between before and after education was found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Under the conditions of this study, educational presentation improved parents’ knowledge on infant oral health care and provided anticipatory guidance.