Parental knowledge regarding first permanent molar of children in Bucharest

Introduction: First permanent molar is recognized as the most important tooth in the arch and its early loss generates morphological and functional disorders. Being considered a temporary tooth, parents overlook the early decay and children get to the dentist with advanced lesions. Cultural and educational models provided by parents have a decisive significance in shaping the child's proper oral health behavior. The aim of the study is to describe parents' views on first permanent molar. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 4 randomly selected kindergartens. A self-administered 10 items questionnaire was distributed among 240 parents of preschool children attending these kindergartens in October 2010. The questionnaire covered parental knowledge towards the first permanent molar of their young children and demographic information. The ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Committee of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila", Bucharest. Results: 210 parents returned the questionnaires and the rate of responsiveness was 87.5%. Most respondents were aged between 26-35 years (76%) and were females (88%). The majority (63.3%) had education higher than secondary school level. In terms of knowledge about the erupting age, half answered correctly, 26.6% responded that appears at 11-12 years and 23.3% say they do not know. Only 50% of parents knew that appears behind the temporary molars, without replacing another tooth. Regarding methods of preventing caries, one third of parents choose brushing teeth twice a day, 20.81% regular dental check-ups and 11.67% sealing teeth. The sources of information are: the dentist (36.7%), media (20%), the pediatrician (3%) and educators (2%). Conclusions: The relatively low level of parental knowledge and low awareness of preventive methods indicated a need for them to receive accurate information about factors influencing the oral health of preschool children in Bucharest, Romania. Keywords: parents, education, preschool children, preventive treatment