Introduction:

this study aimed to analyze the relationship between access to information from parents and/or caregivers about oral hygiene and the fluoride concentration in toothpaste chosen for Peruvian children under 12 years old.

Methods:

this cross-sectional study used data from the "Demographic and Family Health Survey" in Peru to analyze 63,849 children under 12 years old from 2018 to 2022. Chi-square test and Poisson regression with robust variance were applied to assess the relationship between the main variables considering associated factors such as the information provider, year, age, region, and area of residence.

Results:

it was found that 57% of children with access to information used toothpaste with an adequate concentration of fluoride, while the public sector health services (36%), private sector health services (7.9%), and media (6.5%) were the most influential sources of information in the choice of toothpaste with adequate concentration. A statistically significant relationship was also found between the variables access to parental information and /or caregivers on oral hygiene and Fluoride concentration used in toothpaste for children (p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

there is a positive influence of parents’ and/or caregivers’ access to information about oral care on the use of toothpaste with adequate fluoride for their children under 12 years of age in Peru. Furthermore, information providers such as the private sector health services, public sector, and media have a significant impact on its use.

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