Conhecimento dos pais e responsáveis sobre hábitos saudáveis de higiene bucal e dieta na infância
Introduction: To ensure that instructions on oral health for children are administered assertively, you must know the level of knowledge about children’s oral health of parents/caregivers. Objective: Assess the knowledge of parents/ caregivers about healthy hygiene and diet habits in childhood. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study. A structured questionnaire was applied to parents/caregivers containing identification data and 10 questions for the theme. Descriptive analysis was performed on the data obtained. Results: It included a sample of 86 parents/caregivers of schoolchildren from two public schools in Minas Gerais. Most participants have already received information about the importance of oral health and healthy eating (93%) as well as agreeing that primary teeth should be brushed every day (91.9%). All participants found this information important for maintaining children’s oral health (100%). The amount of fluoride dentifrice less than half the length of the toothbrush bristles was recommended by 23.3% of the participants, 15.3% answered that dental floss should be used during children’s oral hygiene. A total of 40.7% believe that the child’s intake of sugary foods interferes with the development of caries. Conclusion: Although most of the participants have already received information about the importance of oral hygiene and healthy eating, and everyone thinks this information is important for maintaining the oral health of children, some questions on the subject are not yet known to most parents/caregivers.