Evaluation of the relationship between parental support in self-care skills and oral-dental health and dental neglect in children

ABSTRACT Evaluation of the Relationship Between Parental Support in Self-Care Skills and Oral-Dental Health and Dental Neglect in Children Aim: It is aimed to examine the relationship between parental support in self-care skills of 36-72 month old children and oral-dental health and dental neglect. Material and Method: The study included 602 systemically healthy patients aged 36 to 72 months and their parents who applied to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Faculty of Dentistry between May 2023 and May 2024. In the initial phase of this cross-sectional study, demographic information about the children and their parents, as well as data on the children's oral health, were collected. Subsequently, PSISS was used to assess parental support in self-care skills, and DNS was used to evaluate the level of dental neglect among parents. In the final stage, intraoral examinations were performed to assess the children's oral health and dmft, pufa, PI, GI, and BOP index values were recorded. For statistical analysis, Jamovi 2.3.28 Statistics Program was used. Chi-square, Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Spearmen Correlation Analysis and Regression Analysis were performed. Significance level was determined as p<0.05. Results: Of the children participating in the study, 49% were girls (n=294) and 51% were boys (n=308). A statistically significant relationship was found between PSISS and DNS and dmft, pufa, PI, GI and BOP index values (p<0.05). A weak positive correlation was observed between PSISS and DNS (r:0.191, p<0,001). It was determined that the education level of the parents, the age of the child, and the presence of a sibling significantly affected the total score of the PSISS (p<0.05). A statistically significant relationship was found between the education level of the parents, the income level of the family, the reason for the first dentist visit, the possession of a toothbrush, the brushing habit and regularity and DNS (p<0.05). Conclusion: Children who received high levels of parental support in self-care skills and were less exposed to dental neglect were found to have significantly better oral health. It was found that increasing levels of dental neglect may increase parental support in self-care skills, but this relationship was not strong. Key words: Child, Dental neglect, Oral and dental health, Self-care skills