فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Objectives This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of mothers of elementary school children toward pediatric dental care in Iran. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted on mothers of 254 elementary school children between the ages of 6 and 12 years residing in Qom City, Iran, in 2021. Data collection was performed using a standard questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability for the Iranian population, which was distributed to mothers online. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and t-test.. Results The response rate was 30.97%. The mean age of mothers was 35.88±6.62 years. The majority of them had a Bachelor's degree, while 21% had a high school diploma or lower degree, and 79% had a degree higher than a high school diploma. The mean knowledge score of mothers was 31.71±4.17 out of 40, and their mean attitude score was 24.19±4.20 out of 30. Among the children, 35.7% were girls, and 64.3% were boys. About 26.8% reported brushing their teeth more than once a day, while 73.2% reported toothbrushing once a day or less. Mothers' age showed no significant correlation with their knowledge (P=0.691) or attitude (P=0.155). Similarly, their educational level showed no significant correlation with their knowledge (P=0.355) or attitude (P=0.155). Conclusion The mothers of elementary school children assessed in this study demonstrated a relatively high level of knowledge and attitude toward pediatric dental care. Additionally, mothers' educational level had a significant correlation with the frequency of toothbrushing reported by their children.