title: Impact of individual health-oriented parent education on eating and hygienic habits, oral hygiene level, and dentition condition in children with high risk of caries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of individual health-oriented parent education on eating and hygienic habits, oral hygiene level, and dentition condition in children with a high risk of caries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eating and hygienic practices, oral hygiene level (DI-S) and dentition condition were evaluated during one year, every three months, in 81 children aged 18-71 months. At each visit parents were provided with the information on caries causes, nutrition and hygiene tips, and were shown the brushing routine to follow and the necessary preventive care routine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The examination of the mean number of snack, juice/sweetened drink and sweets intake in a day, of the mean toothbrushing frequency and the clinical examination ensured a considerable improvement in eating and hygienic habits and in oral hygiene. The percentage of children having more than three snacks a day decreased from 40.7% to 16%, of children having sweets from 32.1% to 11.11%, and of children drinking juices/sweetened drinks more than three times a day from 48.1% to 25.9%. At the initial examination, 74.1% of children declared to be brushing their teeth twice a day, versus 91.4% at the final examination. The mean DI-S decreased from 1.19±0.71 to 0.72±0.48. Caries intensity scored with the dmft index increased from 5.14±4.25 to 6.99±4.68.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individual health-oriented parent education has a positive influence on changing hygienic and eating habits and decreasing the mean DI-S index in children with high risk of caries.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Stomatologii Dziecięcej WUM, 18 Miodowa St, 00-246 Warsaw, Poland, aturskaszybka@orange.pl.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turska-Szybka
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gozdowski
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olczak-Kowalczyk