A Comparison Between Parents with Different Attitudes Towards Topical Fluoride Application for Their Children: A...

Although fluoride is known to be effective and safe, an increasing number of parents refuse to allow fluoride applications for their children. This study aimed to compare the parents who accepted and rejected fluoride application for their children in terms of their attitudes toward fluoride and vaccinations, sociodemographic characteristics, and source of knowledge.

In this cross-sectional study, a previously validated questionnaire was administered to 85 parents who did not consent to have topical fluoride applied to their children's teeth (AF group) and the 143 parents who consented to have it applied (F group) in a pediatric dentistry clinic. Data were analysed using the independent t-test and chi-squared test.

In the F group, the number of those who disagreed with the statement that fluoride causes intellectual disability, autism, and damages the pineal gland was statistically significantly higher than in the AF group (p 0.05). The most common source of information for the AF group was the internet/social media (67.06%), while for the F group, it was dentists/medical doctors (62.24%). More parents in the F group stated that childhood and Covid-19 vaccinations must be performed; this was a statistically significant difference (p 0.05).

No relationship was found between fluoride hesitancy and the educational level of the parents. Most parents in the AF group have doubts and concerns about fluoride rather than being strongly opposed to it. Therefore, educational programs given to parents are likely to have a positive effect on their acquisition of correct information.