Oral Cleaning Practices for 1- to 3-year-olds in Tehran, Iran

Objectives: To describe the oral cleaning practices of children up to three years of age in Tehran, Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed at 18 randomly selected public health centers in Tehran covering 1- to 3-year-old children (n=504) and their mothers visiting the vaccination and development assessment offices of these centers. With her permission, the mother was interviewed using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire about the child's oral cleaning practices. The questions covered starting age, frequency, assistance and supervision of cleaning, the child's cooperation, use of fluoride toothpaste, and tools used in cleaning. Statistical evaluation was by chi-square test and t-test. Results: Mothers reported oral cleaning practices for 45% of the children, for 28% of the 12- to 15-month-olds, and for 80% of 26- to 36-month-olds (p=0.000). Mean starting age for oral cleaning practices was 21.3 (SD=8.0) months. For those children who practiced oral cleaning, 56% cleaned at least once a day. For oral cleaning, 70% used a tooth brush, 19%, a wash-cloth or gauze, and 11% other. The mean age of the children who had started brushing was higher than that of the other children (p=0.000). Of the 26- to 36-month-olds who used a tooth brush, 78% used fluoride tooth paste always or almost always, 33% brushed by themselves, 2% brushed under supervision, 25% received assistance from adults, and for 41%, the adult did the brushing. When practicing oral cleaning, 73% of the children cooperated at least rather often; the older the child, the greater the cooperation (p<0.001). These figures showed no gender-difference. Conclusions: The high percentage of children not practicing oral cleaning from the time of first tooth eruption to the age of 12 months calls for improvement in oral health promotion programs for their parents and other caregivers of small children.