KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION, AND ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARD DENTAL TREATMENT GIVEN TO THEIR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TRIPOLI, LIBYA

Abstract

Dental treatment is an important topic, especially for primary school students. Parents' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and socioeconomic status are potentially significant factors in improving dental treatment. In 2021, parents of ten primary school students in Tripoli participated in a survey of their children during school time. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in ten randomly selected primary schools across Tripoli, the capital of Libya. A total of 293 respondents were approached using a systematic sampling technique. A previously validated and published questionnaire was used with minimal modifications. Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions were analyzed using a scoring system based on the number of correct or favorable answers provided by parents. According to our results, parents of primary school students exhibited a high knowledge score of 60.4% regarding dental treatment. Approximately 41.7% of participants displayed a positive attitude towards dental treatment, while 40.2% held a negative attitude. Most parents practiced poor oral health care for their children, with 52.2% individuals scoring poorly, indicating that 52.2% had inadequate dental treatment practices. In general, the variables explained a total of 61.6% of the variation in dental treatment. The findings of this study demonstrate the positive impact of knowledge (B=0.192, P-value<0.05), attitude (B=0.339, P-value<0.05), income (B=0.161, P-value<0.05), and education (B=0.134, P-value<0.05) on dental treatment. However, position and perception had an insignificant effect. Respondents varied based on their socioeconomic status, with high education and income respondents differing from those with low education and income. This study highlights the implications and limitations of the research and provides suggestions for future research after the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to numerous psychological problems among healthcare workers, which are directly related to inadequate knowledge, incorrect attitudes, and inadequate perception. Nevertheless, timely interventions and accurate information have the potential to safeguard the mental well-being of healthcare professionals during the novel coronavirus epidemic.