Assessment of Oral Hygiene Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Children in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of oral hygiene in children is important for the health of the community. The lack of data in Makkah region initiated the idea of the study. Aims: To assesses the knowledge, attitude, and practice of oral hygiene among Makkah children aged 9-14years. Design: Cross sectional study was conducted to collect data from children in Makkah, using self-administered close-ended validated questionnaire. It contained demographic data about the child and his mother, and included ten items about oral health practice, oral health attitude, and oral health knowledge that were answered by the child and his guardian separately. SPSS version 20 was used for the analysis of the data and descriptive statistics and chi- square tests were applied. Results: 405 children, both males and females, and their mothers have participated, 79% of them were Saudi mothers and 57% have had higher education. A significant difference was found regarding the correct tooth brushing frequency among male and female children. 67% had more than two episodes of dental pain during last year. No significant difference was found regarding the knowledge except the effect of the fluoride on teeth. More than 45% of the children who got good score their mothers are University graduates. Conclusion: Most of the children and their mothers have adequate oral hygiene knowledge, practice, and attitude. Children of university graduate mothers are more knowledgeable compared to non-graduate mothers; this necessitates the importance of educating them.