Dental knowledge, attitudes and behavior among Kuwaiti mothers and school teachers

In one region in the state of Kuwait children in first grade have been offered a systematic dental health care program. The purpose of this study was to assess (1) dental knowledge, attitudes, and health behavior among the mothers of children in first grade, and (2) dental knowledge and attitudes of schoolteachers, and their involvement in health education. Before the children were enrolled in the program 187 mothers (response 76%) were interviewed. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on schoolteachers (n = 135, response 695). Most of the mothers (74%) answered that dental caries is caused by sweets/candy; the role of bacteria was mentioned by 9%. Half of the mothers were aware of the harmful effect of sugary drinks, and 50% knew about the preventive effect of fluoride. Knowledge about causes and prevention of periodontal disease was diffuse. According to the mothers, 68% of the children were in need for dental treatment; 37% were seen by a dentist once a year for symptomatic reasons, and 49% brushed their teeth at least twice a day. Sixteen-percent of the mothers helped their child in brushing every day. Sugar consumption among mothers and children was high, e.g. 66% of the children had chocolate bars and 44% had soft drinks several times a day. The level of dental knowledge was higher among teachers than mothers; the mothers were mostly informed through television/radio, while teachers had received information from various sources, including the dentists. The teachers responded positively to prevention of dental diseases among children and should be considered key persons in dental health education. For the Kuwaiti children and the mothers the active involvement principle, group presentations, and one-to-one communications are recommended for the school based dental health program.