الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Oral health is an important aspect of general health in infants and children and impacts the quality of life and health outcomes.(193)
It was reported that dental caries is the single most common chronic childhood disease and is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.(194)
In 2010, it was reported that 24% of US children two to four years of age, 53% of children six to eight years of age, and 56% of 15-year-olds have caries experience (i.e. untreated dental caries, filled teeth, teeth missing as a result of dental caries).(195)
Caries is highly prevalent in Egyptian preschool children. A recent study in 2018 reported a prevalence rate of 61.4% among preschool children in El Mansoura city.(196) Just less than two fifths (38.2%) of mothers in the present study mentioned that their children had one or more decayed tooth.
Thus primary preventive strategy for oral health is an essential public health priority since dental caries is the most common chronic disease among children worldwide. Experts recommend that initiatives begin with very young children to promote positive outcomes during childhood and subsequent adulthood.(171)
Because of their frequent contact with mothers for routine preventive visits in the child’s first few years of life, PCPs have a major role in advising mothers about the prevention of oral diseases in their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that pediatricians should be knowledgeable about the disease process of dental caries, prevention of the disease, and interventions available to the pediatrician and the family to maintain and restore health.(197)
Parents are role models for their children. Children learn habits by imitating their role models and the best way to teach them is to practice these oral hygiene practices by their parents. Dental caries is a preventable disease and if it is noticed at an early stage, children cooperate better and parents save their valuable time and money spent on dental treatments which are also inclusive of the loss of pay for multiple visits for the treatment. Hence, prevention at the root level, i.e., primordial prevention and oral health education of parents is essential as the preschool age group is dependent on them for their oral health care needs. Later, from two years onward, oral health promotion strategies such as fluoridated toothpaste, etc., can be begun in cooperation with the parents.(187)
Therefore this study was conducted primarily to explore the PCPs as well as mothers/caregivers of children under five knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning this important aspect of preventive oral health.
Reviewing the literature reveals that this study may be the first attempt for assessing the knowledge, attitudes of PCPS as well as mothers/caregivers concerning preventive oral health among children under five years of age attending family health centers/units in Alexandria.