Evaluation of the knowledge and attitude of expectant mothers about infant oral health and their oral hygiene practices

BACKGROUND: Mothers play a crucial role in developing and maintaining their infants’ oral hygiene. Maternal oral health, their knowledge and attitude toward infant oral health are strong indicators of their infant's oral health status. AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of expectant mothers about infant oral health and their oral hygiene practices. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted among expectant mothers in Mangalore city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred expectant mothers fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly selected based on convenience method over a period of 1 month. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire addressing the various aspects of expectant mothers’ knowledge and attitude about infant oral health and their own oral hygiene practices. The analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0. RESULTS: The overall score revealed that majority of the expectant mothers had poor knowledge and attitude toward infant oral health and followed poor oral hygiene practices. Expectant mothers’ educational qualification, trimester, and the number of pregnancy had a significant role in their knowledge, attitude, and oral hygiene practices. CONCLUSION: Implementation of educational programs to motivate expectant mothers and bring out awareness about the importance of oral health and their implications must be emphasized.