Objective:

to identify parent’s knowledge about oral hygiene and its relation with dental cavities in their children under 5 years of age, patients of a health center in Medellin.

Methodology:

Case and control study. The group of cases was composed by parents whose children had a DMFT index higher than zero. The control group was composed by parents whose children had a DMFT index equal to zero. Information was collected through dental evaluations, in order to determine the presence of cavities, clinic records and a document with parents’ knowledge about dental hygiene. The origin, appearance and way to prevent the cavities were analyzed.

Results:

the presence of cavities was associated with lack of control of the amount of toothpaste on the parents’ side, because they believed the teeth were kept cleaner (or 4,29; IC 95 %: 1,74-10,62), because they did not find it harmful (or 3,29; ic 95 %: 1,61-6,75).

Conclusions:

We identified an association between parents’ poor knowledge about oral hygiene, the appearance of cavities and toothpaste usage in the sampled children. The results suggests a need to create communication and interaction spaces between health professionals and the users, and timely educational actions that could have an impact, using mass media and other information, education and communication (IEC) strategies that allow a better appropriation of knowledge.

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