The effect of mothers' oral health related knowledge, attitude and behavior on the oral health of their 6-7 year old children in Yerevan, Armenia

Abstract

Oral diseases are a major public health problem throughout the world. The US Surgeon General described the current oral health situation in the US as a “silent epidemic of dental and oral diseases.” A high risk of oral diseases is mainly related to socio-cultural factors (poor living conditions, lifestyle). The oral health of children is a significant public health issue. Poor oral health in childhood often continues into adulthood, impacting economic productivity and quality of life. Oral diseases are mainly preventable, and routine care can detect and correct problems before they become serious. Since most of oral health disorders are not life threatening, they are usually ignored. In Armenia, there have been several programs aimed at improving the oral health of vulnerable populations. But these programs have been mainly directed to treatment of caries. Prevention and educational activities are still lacking in Armenia. The Dental Care Project implemented by United Methodist Committee of Relief (UMCOR) in Armenia in 2003 revealed that, on average, four out of five of children had dental problems. A pilot study to examine oral health status of five to seven year old children and to assess their mothers’ oral health related knowledge, attitude and behaviors conducted in Yerevan (2005) revealed that 84% of children needed dental treatment, and 19% of them needed urgent treatment; mean dmft score was 4.10. Sixty-one percent of surveyed mothers had no or poor knowledge on oral health issues. This project is a Research Grant Proposal aimed to determine the prevalence of oral disorders (tooth decay and gingivitis) among six and seven year old children, their oral hygiene status (plaque and calculus) and to assess the level of oral health related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of mothers of these children in Yerevan, Armenia. The goal of the program is to improve the oral health status of Armenian schoolchildren by determining children’s oral health needs, factors affecting their oral health and to contribute to prevention of potential oral health problems through improving the quality of personal dental care and oral hygiene. The study will be conducted in 12 Yerevan secondary schools. It will utilize cross-sectional one group study design. Multistage cluster sampling technique will be used for selecting study participants. The budget of the program is about 5,315 USD. The results of the study can serve as the basis for developing and implementing an educational program for children and mothers.