title: When and Why Parents Seek Dental Care for Children under 36 Months.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim was to analyze an infant preventive program determining at what age parents take their children for their first dental visit and the reasons why they do it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 844 children aged from 0 to 36 months, enrolled in the program of oral health maintenance of the Baby Clinic, participated in this study. During the first dental visit, the parents were inquired about the reasons that led them to enroll their children in the program. One trained investigator identified this reasons on the records and classified them according to the following scores: orientation/prevention, caries treatment, malpositioned teeth, dental trauma, tooth color alterations and others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Orientation/prevention was the most prevalent reason from 0-6 months to 25-30 months of age, and at the age 30-36 months, the reason caries/treatment overcame orientation/prevention, becoming the most prevalent reason in that age group. The third place was occupied by dental trauma. The mean age parents seek for dental care to their children was 14, 92 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed a preferentially preventive/educational profile for the children. However, lots of parents still take children to the dentist preferentially for curative instead of preventive treatment. How to cite this article: Volpato LE, Palti DG, Lima JE, Machado MA, Aranha AM, Bandeca MC, Pedro FL, Borges AH. When and Why Parents Seek Dental Care for Children under 36 Months. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):21-25.
authors.affiliation: Master Program in Integrated Dental Sciences. University of Cuiaba, Cuiaba-MT, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Evaristo Ricci
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Volpato
authors.forename: Dafna Geller
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Palti
authors.forename: Jose Eduardo de Oliveira
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Maria Aparecida de Andrade Moreira
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Andreza Maria Fabio
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aranha
authors.forename: Matheus Coelho
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bandeca
authors.forename: Fabio Luis Miranda
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Pedro
authors.forename: Alvaro Henrique
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Borges
keywords: Dental care for children; dentistry for babies; first dental visit; infant dental care