Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Dental Services Utilization
1 Oral Health and Community Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4-6 Eforie St, 050037 Bucharest, Romania;
2 Orthodontics Resident, Dentist, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4-6 Eforie St, 050037 Bucharest, Romania;
3 Department of Prosthesis Technology and Dental Materials, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4-6 Eforie St, 050037 Bucharest, Romania;
* Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-722-234-978
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2 Dec 2020 / Accepted: 30 Dec 2020 / Published: 20 Jan 2021
Abstract
(1) Background: Parents play an important role in children’s oral health by contributing to the development of proper oral hygiene and eating behaviors as well as offering the child access to dental services. The aim of this study was the evaluation of parents’ involvement in their child’s visits to the dental office. (2) Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 in Romania on a sample of 105 parents using an online self-administered questionnaire. (3) Results: Only 9.52% of parents brought their children to the dental office for their first visit in their 1st year of life; 51.53% of children visit the dentist at least once a year but for only 42.86% of children, the reason of their last visit was a regular dental check-up. (4) Conclusions: parents underestimate the role of dental service utilization for their children; the first visit to the dental office for most children is at an older age than optimal, the frequency of dental visits is less than recommended, and they are treatment-oriented.
Keywords: children’s oral health; dental service utilization; parents’ oral health
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CITE
Dumitrache, M.A.; Caramida, M.; Ene, A.S.; Ilici, R.R. Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Dental Services Utilization. Timisoara_Med 2021, 2020, 1.
Dumitrache MA, Caramida M, Ene AS, Ilici RR. Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Dental Services Utilization. Timisoara Medical Journal. 2021; 2020(2):1.
Dumitrache, Mihaela Adina; Caramida, Mariana; Ene, Alexandra Stefania; Ilici, Roxana Romanita. 2021. "Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Dental Services Utilization." Timisoara_Med 2020, no. 2: 1.
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