ORAL HEALTH BEHAVIOR, KNOWLEDGE, AND ATTITUDES OF CHILDREN, MOTHERS, AND SCHOOLTEACHERS IN ROMANIA IN 1993

In Romania an increasing level of dental caries in children has been o bserved. The present study was undertaken to describe the oral health behavior of schoolchildren in the first grade, to assess the level of oral health knowledge and attitudes among the mothers, and to describe oral knowledge and attitudes to prevention among the schoolteachers. A total of 322 mothers of grade-1 children (response. 89%) and 97 scho olteachers (response, 86%) participated in the study. Data on mothers and children were collected through personal interviews, whereas the t eachers responded to self-administered questionnaires. A significant p roportion of the mothers knew about the causal factors in dental carie s; however, relatively few were aware of the harmful effect of hidden sugar. Most of the mothers were aware of the importance of toothbrushi ng, but 33% also recommended the use of salt for prevention of periodo ntal disease. Of the children, 37% brushed their teeth at least twice a day; 26% had their teeth cleaned by their mothers every day. Sugar w as mostly consumed in terms of milk with sugar, sugary breakfast cerea ls, biscuits, and sweets. The schoolteachers knew about the poor denta l conditions in children and wanted to become involved in oral health education. Training of teachers should aim at improving their level of knowledge on oral health. The establishment of school-based oral heal th promotion programs in Romania is urgently needed.