Parents' View and Awareness About Their Children's Fluoride Therapy: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Public Health
• Dental Caries Prevention

Background:

• Parental awareness and perception of fluoride are crucial for effective children's oral care.
• Limited understanding of fluoride's role in preventing dental caries can impact adherence to preventive strategies.
• Addressing parental concerns is vital for optimizing fluoride use in pediatric dental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing scientific evidence on parental awareness and perceptions of fluoride use in children's oral hygiene.
• To identify gaps in parental knowledge regarding fluoride products and recommendations.
• To explore parental attitudes towards fluoride therapies and potential refusal factors.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted from 1974 to February 2023.
• Keywords included 'fluoride, parents, attitude, perception, children'.
• Quality and risk of bias assessments were performed on selected studies.

Main Results:

• Only 30-36.9% of parents knew the recommended fluoride toothbrushing frequency; 90.2% were unaware of toothpaste fluoride concentration.
• Most parents supported topical fluoride, but 40% had concerns about fluoride varnish safety.
• Fluoride therapy refusal rates ranged from 5% to 50%, with a noted link to vaccination refusal.

Conclusions:

• Significant deficiencies in parental awareness and evidence-based perspectives on fluoride were observed.
• Inadequate study methodologies, particularly questionnaires, may have influenced findings.
• There is a critical need for improved research and targeted interventions to address parental fluoride refusal.