آگاهی، نگرش و عملکرد مادران در زمینۀ بهداشت دهان و دندان کودکان یک تا شش سال (مناطق 3 و 16 تهران در سال 1393)

Background and Objective: Children learn health values and attitudes from their parents, especially their mothers. Therefore, mothers' awareness about orodental health is important, as a foundation for health promotion planning for children. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practice of mothers about their children&rsquo; orodental health at ages of 1-6 years. Materials and Methods: This research was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study performed on 450 of 1-6 years childrens&rsquo; mothers attending kindergartens in two affluent and deprived areas of city of Tehran in 2015. Cluster random sampling was used. The standard KAP-WHO questionnaires were applied to assess mothers' knowledge, attitude, and performance regarding their children&rsquo; oral health. Validity and reliability of the instrument were confirmed in previous studies. Data were analyzed through SPSS software using t-Test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: About 47.34% of mothers had a moderate level of knowledge, 51.12% had moderate attitudes and 46.23% had moderate practice regarding orodental health in children (P=0.05). Totally, the participants in this study had moderate level of KAP score (P<0.005). The statistical tests showed a significant correlation between the variables of knowledge, attitudes and practice with mothers' age, education status, employment status, and economic situation (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Mothers&rsquo; knowledge and performance toward their children&rsquo;s oral health was undesirable. Therefore, planning educational programs for mothers is necessary.