TY  - EJOU
AU  - Dumitrache, D. Mihaela Adina
AU  - Caramida, C. Mariana
AU  - Ene, E. Alexandra Stefania
AU  - Ilici, I. Roxana Romanita
TI  - Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Dental Services Utilization
T2  - Timisoara Medical Journal

PY  - 2021
VL  - 2020
IS  - 2
SN  - 1583-526X

AB  - (1) Background: Parents play an important role in children’s oral health by contributing to the development of proper oral hygiene and eating behaviors as well as offering the child access to dental services. The aim of this study was the evaluation of parents’ involvement in their child’s visits to the dental office. (2) Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 in Romania on a sample of 105 parents using an online self-administered questionnaire. (3) Results: Only 9.52% of parents brought their children to the dental office for their first visit in their 1st year of life; 51.53% of children visit the dentist at least once a year but for only 42.86% of children, the reason of their last visit was a regular dental check-up. (4) Conclusions: parents underestimate the role of dental service utilization for their children; the first visit to the dental office for most children is at an older age than optimal, the frequency of dental visits is less than recommended, and they are treatment-oriented.
KW  - children’s oral health
KW  - dental service utilization
KW  - parents’ oral health
DO  - 10.35995/tmj20200201