Parents’ Awareness towards First Permanent Molars and its Effect on Caries Experience among Children

نویسندگان

  • Mustafa W. Al-Kubaisi
  • Basma Abdulbari Aziz
  • Huda M. Al-Badri
  • Zainab M. Mansi Lecturer, College of Dentistry, Dijlah university, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI::

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1599

کلمات کلیدی:

Dental Caries, DMFT, Oral Health Education, Mandibular Molars

چکیده

The first permanent molars (FPMs) are important for the establishment of occlusion and long-term oral health, but they are also very susceptible to early caries because of their early emergence and the frequent confusion by parents. This study aimed to assess parents' knowledge of FPMs and how it correlated with their level of education and their children's caries experiences in Baghdad, Iraq, between ages of 6 and 9. 305 students and their parents were surveyed in a cross-sectional study that carried out in Baghdad's public and private schools. A uniform Arabic questionnaire measuring sociodemographic traits was used for collecting data. Oral health behaviours, and FPM-related knowledge. The DMFT index was used in clinical tests to evaluate FPMs' caries experience. Using logistic and multivariate linear regression models, associations were investigated. While 19.4% of parents were able to identify the anatomical position of FPMs, only 39.1% were able to accurately determine when they would erupt. Lower DMFT scores in children were significantly associated with higher levels of parental education (p < 0.05). The associations between parental education and FPM-specific knowledge and oral health behaviors were insignificant, nevertheless. There were significant gaps in specific knowledge about FPMs, despite the fact reported toothbrushing was common. The lack of a strong association between parental knowledge of FPMs and educational attainment highlights the importance of school-based oral health programs to minimize the risk of early caries and enhance children's future outcomes.

##submission.downloads##

چاپ شده

2026-09-22

شماره

دوره 14 شماره 2 (2026)

نوع مقاله

Adults & the Elderly

مجوز

حق نشر 2026 Mustafa W. Al-Kubaisi, Basma Abdulbari Aziz, Huda M. Al-Badri, Zainab M. Mansi

Creative Commons License

این پروژه تحت مجوز بین المللی Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 می باشد.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.