Mother’s Knowledge and Practice regarding Oral Hygiene and Challenges in the Prevention of Dental Caries of Under- Five Children in an Urban Resettlement Colony

Background: Dental carries is transmissible infectious disease and mother is the major primary source of infection for their children. Aims & Objective: To assess knowledge and practice of mothers of under-five children regarding dental caries. Material and Methods: 140 mothers having < 5 years old children selected through simple random sampling were interviewed using semi-structured schedule to assess the knowledge of oral health to prevent dental caries. Results: In the survey, 73.5% mothers knew about avoiding consumption of sweets/sweet fast foods/sugar beverages. A larger proportion of literate mothers were aware of regular cleaning of mouth, necessity of cleaning mouth after each feeding, sweets / sweet fast food & unclean mouth causes caries (p>0.05). They offers sweet/sweet fast food / sugar beverages more frequently, use toothpaste and brush for cleaning mouth for their children’s (p=0.010, p=0.008). A larger proportion of mothers who had an income > 3000 `/month were aware of sweets / sweet fast food & unclean mouth causes caries, necessity of regular cleaning after each feeding (p>0.05). But in spite of greater awareness of mothers a significantly lesser proportion of their children used toothpaste while brushing, do self-brushing and assisted brushing (p=00.007, 0.025, 0.022). An age group of >24 years and income > 3000 `/month were the predictors of good oral hygiene practice by mothers. Conclusion: Mothers of the study area had basic knowledge of caries prevention. However, their theoretical knowledge has been not fully reflected in the way they cared for their children's teeth. Key-Words: Knowledge; Practice; Mothers; Oral Hygiene; Caries Prevention; Under-Five Children