Norwegian children typically have good dental health, but early childhood dental caries is a problem in some groups. Parents greatly influence what young children eat and drink and whether they clean their teeth. This report examines the effect of educating and counselling parents with pre-school children on ways to prevent dental caries.
In all the studies we summarize, the parents received education and counselling regarding dietary habits and dental hygiene practices that promote good oral health. However, both the educational content, strategy used and the number of sessions varied considerably.
We found that:
Children of parents that received recurrent education and counselling sessions had somewhat improved short- and long-term oral status compared children of parents who did without this opportunity.
The majority of the studies compared giving comprehensive education and counselling with giving the parents only some education, advice, or information. These studies have inconsistent findings.
Based on these findings, we cannot conclude whether some education and counselling strategies were more effective in preventing childhood dental caries. Most of the studies were conducted in populations groups where early childhood dental caries is prevalent and among vulnerable groups of parents. It can be especially difficult for these parents to change behaviours and habits.
Keywords: dental care for children; parents; health education, dental.
Copyright ©2015 by The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH).