Oral hygiene knowledge and practices among mothers of 3- to 6-Year-old preschool children visiting anganwadis of Bangalore City

Background: Children under the age of 6 years spend most of their time with their parents and guardians, especially mothers, even when they attend preschool or nurseries. It has been found that young children's oral health maintenance and outcomes are influenced by their parent's knowledge and beliefs. Mothers play a vital role in maintaining their children's oral hygiene. Aim: The aim of this study was done to assess the knowledge and practice of oral hygiene among mothers of 3- to 6-year-old preschool children visiting the anganwadis of Bangalore city. Materials and Methods: Mothers of children aged 3–6 years visiting various anganwadis were invited to participate in the study. The sample comprised of 200 mothers through simple random sampling. A pretested questionnaire covering sociodemographic details, importance of brushing deciduous teeth, and oral hygiene practices was distributed to mothers who were willing to participate. Results: In the present study, majority of mothers visiting the anganwadi had only primary school education (79%). About 79.4% of mothers did not have any knowledge regarding the time of eruption of their child's deciduous teeth, 63.8% of mothers did not know the importance of brushing their child's deciduous teeth, and 84.3% mothers did not know that oral diseases can affect general health. Conclusion: The result of the present study showed that the oral health knowledge among the mothers visiting the anganwadis was poor. Awareness programs targeting expectant mothers visiting anganwadis should be employed by training the anganwadi teachers, and importance of primary teeth should be emphasized in different oral health education program

Self-perceived competency among postgraduate students of public health dentistry in India: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction: The professional profile of the public health dentist is made up of a number of competencies. Evaluation of the student′s performance in relation to the specified competencies is an important task for purposes of student evaluation and for assessing the curriculum and making necessary revisions. Aim: The aim was to assess the level of self-perceived competency in dental public health among postgraduate (PG) students in India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among the PG students in the specialty of public health dentistry in India. Their competency was assessed by a questionnaire sent through E-mail. Students assessed their competence in these dental public health functions using a 3 point ordinal scale, 0 indicating "not at all competent," 1 as "competent," and 2 as "very competent." Chi-square has been used for categorical variables. Results: One-hundred and twenty-four PG students responded to the questionnaire. Comparison was made for gender and academic year. Males were significantly competent to comply infection control policies and procedures (P < 0.040FNx01). Third year PG students were significantly competent to comply infection control policies and procedures (P < 0.017) and to adapt their dental practice to the existing laws and regulations (P < 0.45). Conclusion: In the present study, the PG students considered themselves more competent to elaborate the socioeconomic-cultural diagnosis of the community, to participate in epidemiological surveillance system and less competent to adopt ethical principles in all aspects of community oral health activities, to take up initiatives in advocacy issues for health policy and using media effectively