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Demographic characteristics, oral health knowledge and practices of mothers of children aged 5 years and under referred for extraction of teeth under general anaesthesia
Author(s) -
Hood,
Jane Hunter
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of paediatric dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.183
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1365-263X
pISSN - 0960-7439
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-263x.1998.00068.x
Subject(s) - medicine , general anaesthesia , oral health , pediatrics , dentistry , anesthesia
Aims . To examine the demographic characteristics, oral health knowledge and practices of mothers of children who required the extraction of teeth under general anaesthesia. Design . Cross‐sectional study using questionnaires completed at interview. Sample . 150 mothers of children aged 5 years and under who had been referred for extraction of teeth under general anaesthesia. Setting . Dental School, University of Wales College of Medicine. Results. Over three‐quarters of mothers had finished their full‐time education at or before the age of 16 years. Although generally well‐informed about the causes of caries, mothers were less sure of preventative methods. There was a widespread ignorance of the causes and prevention of periodontal disease, with just under half of the sample being unable to identify any causative or preventative factors. 40% of the sample admitted to attending a dentist only when in pain or not at all.