Factors affecting Saudi parents' perception of their children's first dental visit

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different socio-demographic factors of Saudi parents on their knowledge and attitudes toward their children's first dental visit. For this purpose, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 909 Saudi parents attending the dental clinic of the College of Dentistry at King Saud University, Riyadh. Results showed none of the factors studied have an affect on the parents' knowledge about the timing of the first dental visit (X2 test, P > 0.05). Significant differences were observed when the factors were tested on parents' attitudes toward behavior modification and management during the first dental visit (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between male and female participants when asked about what should be done in the first dental visit in the absence of pain (P>0.05). However, significant differences were observed with the parents' ages and the number of children (P = 0.027 and 0.009 respectively). The majority of parents responded they would still visit the dentist after the treatment of the chief complaint. Based on the results, it can be concluded that Saudi parents lack sufficient knowledge about the timing of the first dental visit and the importance of behavior modification for their children.