A Study on the Outlook of Mothers with Five-Year-Old Children in the City of Seongnam on Dental Health and Their Relevant Behavior

5세 자녀를 둔 성남시 어머니의 구강보건지식과 태도 및 행동에 관한 조사 연구

The purpose of this study was to examine mothers' perception of dental health and their relevant behaviors. The subjects in this study were 878 mothers who had five-year-old children in the city of Seongnam. After a survey was conducted to find out their dental health awareness and behavior, the following findings were acquired; 1. 44.9 percent of the mothers investigated ever paid a visit to dental institutes over the last year, and 23.3 percent visited them to prevent any possible dental diseases. 56.1 percent ever received oral health education, and 30.0 percent, the largest group, received that in their school days. 69.0 percent ever had their teeth scaled. 2. As for their oral health knowledge, the right answer rate was 6.95 out of 10. Concerning what they knew the best about, 91.7 percent knew that sweet food including sugar caused dental caries, and regarding the most incorrect idea, 31.6 percent believed that aging made tooth come out. 3. In regard to oral health attitude, the right answer rate was 7.33 out of 10. As to the best attitude, 87.1 percent felt that it made them unpleasant to go to bed without doing toothbrushing, and concerning the worst case, 24.0 percent believed that teeth could be clean without using toothpaste. 4. As to oral health behavior, the right answer rate was 5.37 out of 10. Regarding the most common oral health behavior, 89.9 percent brushed their teeth before going to bed, and the least common one, 15.8 percent made a regular visit to dental institutes to examine their teeth. 5. Concerning self-evaluation of oral health, the right answer rate was 6.77 out of 10. 90.0 percent found themselves not to have a toothache, and regarding the worst case, 38.1 percent considered their oral health to be better than that of others of the same age group.