Abstract

MARTINEZ, Farith González; BARRIOS, Carmen Cecilia Sierra  and  SALINAS, Luz Edilma Morales. Knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers in children's homes in Colombia. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2011, vol.53, n.3, pp.247-257. ISSN 0036-3634.

OBJECTIVES: To describe knowledge,attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 333 parents and eight caregivers in children's homes in Colombia in 2010 completed questionnaires and participated in focus group interviews.The data was analyzed for frequency using the χ² test to evaluate significance. The qualitative information was interpreted using triangulated comments to detect patterns and discrepancies. RESULTS: For parents, good levels of knowledge (58.9%) and favorable attitudes (74.5%) were observed. In terms of practices, 50.6% of the children brushed their teeth before bed, with 69.6% of the parents applying the toothpaste to the brush. Among caregivers, a positive attitude toward developing promotional strategies was perceived, but they considered parents to have the main responsibility in matters of healthy oral habits. CONCLUSION: Parents and caregivers demonstrated favorable conditions in terms of their perceptions, which can be considered an opportunity to promote hygiene habits in children.

Keywords : knowledge; attitudes; practices; oral health; parents; caregivers; Colombia.

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