Knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers in children's homes in Colombia

Objectives. To describe knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers. Material and Methods. A total of 333 parents and eight caregivers in children's homes in Colombia in 2010 completed questionnaires and participated in focus group interviews.The data was analyzed for frequency using the chi(2) test to evaluate significance.The qualitative information was interpreted using triangulated comments to detect patterns and discrepancies. Results. For parents, good levels of knowledge (58.9%) and favorable attitudes (74.5%) were observed. In terms of practices, 50.6% of the children brushed their teeth before bed, with 69.6% of the parents applying the toothpaste to the brush. Among caregivers, a positive attitude toward developing promotional strategies was perceived, but they considered parents to have the main responsibility in matters of healthy oral habits. Conclusions. Parents and caregivers demonstrated favorable conditions in terms of their perceptions, which can be considered an opportunity to promote hygiene habits in children.