Parental Knowledge and Its Impact on Nutrition and Oral Health Habits in Children: A Cognitive Investigation

Background: The correlation between the intake of certain nutrients and the development of oral pathologies has been demonstrated by several studies. The objective of this epidemiological investigation was to evaluate parents' knowledge and awareness of children's nutrition starting from the early stages of childhood. Methods: A questionnaire with 35 questions was handed over to 120 parents of infants aged 4 to 24 months. Among these, 20 questionnaires were excluded because they were incomplete; hence, the final sample analyzed consisted of 100 questionnaires. The outcome of this study revealed that the parents are well aware of many common topics, but their knowledge regarding specific prevention measures, i.e., the use of systemic fluoride as per the international guidelines, needs proper attention. Results: and Conclusions: After analyzing all the collected data, it is possible to conclude that prevention is the best investment to avoid the onset of the carious pathology, which can be possible through parental education, for example, by raising awareness among expectant mothers, through different actions in the territory. However, further research is needed as this study has some limitations and the convenience sample is hospital-based and not effectively representative of the whole population.