Evaluation of the factors affecting the choice of child oral care products and the attitudes of parents to these products

The aim of this study; The aim of this study is to evaluate the factors affecting the choice of children's oral care products by the parents of children aged 4-9 and to examine the attitudes of the parents towards these oral care products. This study was carried out with the parents of children aged 4-9 years who applied to Altınbaş University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry for treatment or control between April 2023 and June 2023. Within the scope of our study, verbal information was given to the parents about the content of our study, and the consent form was read and signed by the parents who agreed to participate in our study. It was ensured that the questionnaires were filled in completely by the parents. According to the results of the statistical analysis, it was determined that the rate of preference of fluoride toothpaste for their children increased with the increase in the education level of the parents (p<0.01). According to our study, parents care most about 'brand', 'dentist advice' and 'child age' criteria when choosing a child oral care product. In our study, it was shown that the frequency of tooth brushing of children was insufficient, and the oral hygiene habits of the families were effective on this situation. 'Pediatric dentist' and 'dentist' resources come to the forefront among the sources that parents get information about child oral care most frequently. According to the results of our study, it seems promising that parents with a high level of education have a positive perspective on fluoride. It is seen that the knowledge level of the parents and the importance they give to oral health are an effective factor on the oral health of children. In addition, pediatric dentists have a great responsibility to make parents understand the importance of oral care and to enable parents to make more informed choices about child oral care products.