International Dentistry Journal (ISSN: 3065-4505) | Volume 5, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access
Souksida Xaykhambanh*
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Health Sciences, Laos
*Correspondence to: Souksida Xaykhambanh
Fulltext PDFBackground: Maintaining children's oral hygiene from an early age requires continuous attention to preven dental caries, periodontal conditions, and other oral pathology, beginning with the eruption of primary teeth. Early intervention minimizes the risk of caries in permanent dentition, which can be effectively mitigated through appropriate oral health behaviors. However, young children lack the capacity for self-care, necessitating parental guidance and intervention to establish and sustain proper oral hygiene habits
Introduction: The incidence of tooth decay in preschool children is high in Lao PDR. Dietary factors oral hygiene and access to dental services is the main cause of dental caries. Parental knowledge and actions are the main problems that cause tooth decay.
Objective: To study parents' knowledge and practices regarding tooth decay in children aged 3-5 years in kindergartens in Vientiane.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study using a form asking parents about oral hygiene. Find the frequency of tooth decay. Using the oral health examination form from the World Health Organization (WHO 2013), data were analyzed using frequency, Chi- Square Test, and T-test to find the relationship between tooth decay and parents' knowledge and practices in children aged 3- 5 years.
Results: There were 400 participants in the study, 289 children were found to have tooth decay, accounting for 72.3%. Mean tooth decay (dmft) = 0.77 (sd = 0.421), d = 0.76 (sd = 0.431), m = 0.10 (sd = 0.297), f = 0.08 (sd = 0.272) 5-year-old group with more than 207 caries 51.7%, 4-year-old group 122 people 30.5%, 3-year-old group 71 people 17.8%, average age of parents 37.38 ± 8.429 years. There is a statistical relationship P-value = 0.032. It was found that parents' knowledge and the amount of toothpaste used each time are related to dental caries. A statistically significant P -value = 0.030, Parents' practices at age Starting to brush your teeth has a statistically significant association with dental caries at P-value=0.048 and past toothache in children is associated with dental caries with a statistically significant P-value <0.001.
Conclusion: Tooth decay rates are still high. The incidence of tooth decay in children increases with age. It can be seen that the level of parental knowledge is not related to the incidence of tooth decay.
Knowledge and practices of parents related to dental caries.
Patay Vongsathiane, Souksida Xaykhambanh, Chanthavisao Phunthanalay, Amphayvanh Homsavath, Chanvilay Soukhaseam and Kamkeo Boupha, et al. The Parental Knowledge and Practices to Dental Caries in Children Aged 3-5 Years in Vientiane Lao Pdr.. Int Dent Jour. 2026;5(1):1-11.