Investigating Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Dental Caries Prevention in Adolescents

Dental caries is an infectious disease resulting from the destruction of calcified tooth structures and is recognized as one of the most commonly experienced diseases among the general population. The aim of this investigation is to asses parental knowledge regarding the prevention of caries in adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted in ۲۰۲۵. A total of ۱۵۰ parents of children aged between ۱۲ and ۱۸ years residing in Ilam city and its surrounding villages were enrolled. In the initial phase, four schools were selected from Ilam County, and the parents of the students were sampled using random sampling techniques. Upon data collection, the information was entered into SPSS version ۲۱. Results showed that ۵۰% of parents were male, ۴۸.۷% had education below diploma, ۵۳.۳% were employmed, ۷۴% of parents lived in the city, and ۵۰% of parents had average economic status. The findings indicated that the mean (SD) parental knowledge score was ۱۲.۵ (۳.۲۴), attitude score was ۲۰.۸۱ (۲.۹۴), and the practices score was ۵.۷۴ (۱.۴۶). Additionally, the results showed, there was a relationship between educational status and KAP score, and the M(SD) of KAP score being higher in individuals with higher education than in those with lower education. Moreover, parents who had more children reported higher knowledge and attitude scores. It is recommended that educational interventions be implemented to improve parents’ KAP scores.

کلیدواژه ها:

Knowledge ، Attitude and Practices ، Dental Caries