Résumé
Objective: To examine the factors associated with parents choices of dental care concerning carious primary teeth of their children.
Methods: A structured, self administered questionnaire was issued to parents of children attending the paediatric dental clinic of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan. Items in the questionnaire included a section on the past dental visit(s) of parents, reason(s) for the clinic attendance and treatment(s) received, the second section contained items on parental treatment preferences under two different clinical scenarios of child dental health; scenario 1, asymptomatic carious primary tooth and scenario 2, symptomatic carious primary tooth. The last section contained items on determinants of parents’ choice of treatment.
Results:Majority of the accompanying parent were mothers (75.8%) with a mean age of 39.3+6.81, fathers were 20.8% with a mean age of 45.1+ 5.24 while others were 3.4% with a mean age of 51.2+ 1.09. Under the two clinical scenarios, majority of the parents preferred the dentist to determine the treatment of their children (scenario 1 = 53.7%; scenario 2 = 62.5 %). The accompanying parents and their socioeconomic status had no significant effect on parental preferences under the two clinical scenarios while past parental dental treatment had the greatest influence on parental choice (scenario 1 : x2 = 12.93; p= 0.03 for past fillings experience and scenario 2 : x2= 6.881 ,p = 0.01 for past extraction experience).
Conclusion: The reliance of parents on dentist for decision on the choice of their children dental treatment and the dependence of
parents choice on their past dental treatment experience suggested the need for dental health education to both parents and children on
dental caries.
Keywords: Parent, attitude, caries, primary teeth.
Résumé
Introduction : L’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner les facteurs associés au choix des parents en ce qui concerne les soins des dents primaires cariées de leurs enfants. Un questionnaire structuré a été administré aux parents des enfants qui fréquentaient la clinique dentaire pédiatrique du centre Universitaire hospitalier (UCH),
Ibadan.
Méthodologie : Le questionnaire inclut une section sur la visite des parents passé (s) chez le dentiste, la raison (s) de la fréquentation de la clinique et le traitement reçu; la seconde partie contenait les préférences de traitement parental en vertu de deux scénarios cliniques différents de la santé dentaire de l’enfant : le scenario de dents primaire cariée asymptomatique et le scénario de dents primaire cariée symptomatique. La dernière section contenait les déterminants du choix du traitement des parents.
Résultats : Les résultats démontraient que la majorité des parents qui accompagnaient étaient leurs mères (75,8%) avec un âge moyen de 39,3 ± 6.81, les pères étaient de 20,8% avec un âge moyen de 45,1 ± 5,24 tandis que d’autres ont été de 3,4% avec un âge moyen de 51,2 ± 1.09. Selon les deux scénarios cliniques, la majorité des parents préféraient le choix du traitement de leurs enfants déterminer par le dentiste (scénario 1 = 53,7%; scénario 2 = 62,5%). Le statut socio-économique des parents n’avait aucun effet significatif sur leurs préférences dans les deux scénarios cliniques tandis que le traitement dentaire parental passé a eu la plus grande influence sur le choix des parents (scénario 1 x2 = 12,93, p = 0,03 pour l’expérience des obturations passé et le scénario 2 x2 = 6.881, p = 0,01 pour l’expérience d’extraction passé).
Conclusion: La dépendance à l’égard des parents sur le dentiste pour une décision sur le choix de soins dentaires de leurs enfants et la dépendance de choix aux parents sur leur expérience de traitement dentaire précèdent suggèrent la nécessité d’éducation des parents et des enfants sur les caries dentaires et sur l’hygiène dentaire.
Correspondence: Dr. Bamidele O. Popoola, Department of Child Oral Health, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: olubukolap@gmail.com
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