title: Dental knowledge and attitude toward school dental-health programs among parents of kindergarten children in Winterthur.
abstract: The current study investigated the attitudes and knowledge regarding diet and oral hygiene of parents with kindergarten children. The parents' statements were evaluated in terms of their socioeconomic background and were compared with the annual clinical examination of the children. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the school dental-health program and adapt it to today's societal needs. Of those who participated in the interview, 61% were Swiss, 16% were from former Yugoslavia or Turkey, and 12% each from the EU or other countries. Of the children examined, 39% already had caries, and 18% of those showed more than two lesions. The parents' knowledge correlated with the severity of the child's caries as well as with the parents' income, country of origin, and education. There was a correlation between the child's dental decay and lower income, as well as lower education and non-Swiss nationality of the parents. Parents with higher income and better education more often participated in the preschool's preventive program. Parents from former Yugoslavia or Turkey participated less frequently than parents from other countries. The study demonstrated that parents who especially needed instruction and prophylaxis are contacted too late or not at all through the dental-health program at kindergarten and that new approaches to prevention should be implemented to more effectively reach the parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Restorative and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gläser-Ammann
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Restorative and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lussi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Restorative and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bürgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Restorative and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leisebach
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004037:Diet, Cariogenic; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012572:School Health Services; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: caries; school dental-health program; socioeconomic status