Assessment of parental awareness and knowledge regarding the etiology and clinical findings of tongue thrusting

Objective: The aim of our study is to evaluate parents' awareness and level of knowledge regarding the etiology and clinical manifestations of tongue thrusting habits. Materials and Methods: This study included 124 children aged 9-14 with tongue thrusting habit and their parents, who applied for their first examination to the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Faculty of Dentistry between December 2024 and March 2025, in accordance with the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Parents completed an online multiple-choice questionnaire, developed to assess their awareness of the tongue thrusting habit, whose validity and reliability were supported by the literature. Statistical analyses were performed using the R software, and appropriate tests were applied for categorical data. Results: In the study, 66.1% of parents believed that harmful oral habits could have negative effects in the future, while 25.8% stated that they had no opinion on the matter. This rate was 72% among mothers and 48.4% among fathers. A statistically significant difference was found between parental gender and the belief that harmful habits may lead to future problems (p = 0.022). However, no significant association was observed between this belief and the parents' age or educational status. Awareness of incorrect swallowing or tongue thrusting habits was notably low, with only 13.7% of parents reporting awareness. Awareness levels were 16.1% among mothers and 6.5% among fathers, and no significant relationship was found between parental demographic characteristics and awareness. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that parents have insufficient awareness regarding tongue thrusting and its clinical implications. The necessity of raising parental awareness for early diagnosis and intervention has been highlighted.