Method: Two experimental studies were conducted with parents of children aged 3-6 years old (n=120). In each study, two groups of 30 parents were shown a list of how often nine other parents brushed their child’s teeth each week, and asked to judge how healthy each brushing routine was on an 11-point scale. The distribution of the nine brushing frequencies was manipulated between groups.
Results: In study 1, the same brushing frequencies (5 times per week and 11 times per week) received significantly different health ratings by the two groups, according to how they ranked among other brushing frequencies that the parents saw (F=6.98;p<0.05). In study 2, mean health ratings were significantly higher in a group of parents who saw brushing frequencies which were positively skewed (mostly near to the maximum value in the range) compared to a group where brushing frequencies were negatively skewed (F=28.70;p<0.001). Furthermore, participants who were shown higher brushing frequencies (21 times per week) subsequently rated their own child’s brushing routine as significantly less healthy (F=5.20;p<0.05), despite no differences between the two groups in terms of how often they brushed their child’s teeth.
Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that parents make relative rather than absolute judgements about what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy toothbrushing routine for young children. Parents’ decisions are made in a social context, and their satisfaction with their own child’s brushing routine can be altered by presenting different information about what other parents do. The findings have implications for framing oral health promotion messages aimed at parents.