title: [Knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers in children's homes in Colombia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe knowledge,attitudes and practices in oral health of parents and caregivers.
  
  
  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 χ² 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.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia. farithgm@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Farith
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: González Martínez
authors.forename: Carmen Cecilia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sierra Barrios
authors.forename: Luz Edilma
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Morales Salinas
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002654:Child Care; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia; D003625:Data Collection; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000193:education; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012380:Role; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population