Factors related to Oral Health Care Behaviors of Preschool Children's Parents in Mueang District, Phetchabun Province
Keywords:
Oral Health Literacy, Oral Health Care Behavior, Preschool ChildrenAbstract
This descriptive research aimed to study personal factors, oral health literacy, and oral health care behaviors of parents of preschool children, as well as to examine factors associated with those behaviors. Data were collected from 355 participants using a structured questionnaire. The reliability of the overall instrument was 0.831. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The relationships between variables were examined using the Chi-square test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient at a significance level of 0.05.
The findings revealed that most participants had a moderate level of overall oral health literacy ( = 3.53, S.D. = 0.412) and a moderate level of oral health care behavior for preschool children ( = 3.68, S.D. = 0.412) Personal factors including parental education level, taking the child for dental check-ups and fluoride application within the past year, and using services from public health facilities were significantly associated with oral health care behaviors (p < 0.05). In addition, overall oral health literacy was moderately and positively correlated with oral health care behavior (r = 0.460, P-value < 0.001) These findings highlight the importance of knowledge, behavior-related skills, and the ability to access quality dental services among parents. Promoting appropriate, context-sensitive skills is therefore essential for enhancing effective and sustainable oral health care for preschool children in the long term.
References
Best, J. W. (1981). Research in education (4th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Bloom, B. S. (1971). Handbook on formative and summative evaluation of student
learning. McGraw-Hill Book.
Daniel, W. W. (2010). Biostatistics: A foundation for analysis in the health sciences
(9th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. https://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=contents&itemId=0471456543&bcsId=2191
Davies, J. A. (1971). Elementary survey analysis. Prentice Hall .
Department of Health, Bureau of Dental Health. (2022). Guidelines for promoting quality of early childhood development centers in oral health (4D). Bureau of Dental Health, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health. https://shorturl.asia/XZzIJ (in Thai)
Department of Health, Bureau of Dental Health. (2024). The 9th national oral health
survey of Thailand 2023. Health Systems Research Institute.
https://shorturl.asia/wVl6D (in Thai)
Department of Health, Bureau of Dental Health. (2023). National oral health strategy B.E. 2566–2580 (2023–2037). https://shorturl.asia/cJY1w (in Thai)
Department of Health Service Support, Health Education Division. (2018). Enhancing and evaluating health literacy and health behaviors. https://hed.hss.moph.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/กลยุทธ์การเสริมสร้างความรอบรู้ด้านสุขภาพและพฤติกรรมสุขภาพ.pdf (in Thai)
Hasadisevee, P., Pasittanon, J., Khamjun, K., & Bupphahorm, S. (2023 ). Oral health
promotion program in 0–2 year old children. Srinakharinwirot University Dental Journal, 16(2), 43–56. https://ejournals.swu.ac.th/index.php/swudentj/article/view/15446 (in Thai)
Hawangju, S., Maharachpong, N., & Abdullakasim, P. (2024 ). Health literacy factors
Influencing pre-school children oral health behaviors of caregivers in Chanthaburi Province. Research and Development Health Systems Journal, 17(2), 226–239. https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/RDHSJ/article/view/269838 (in Thai)
Jobsri, C., & Markmee, P. (2023). Oral health literacy and oral health behaviors among parents of preschool children in Muang district, Nakhon Sawan province. Thai Dental Public Health Journal, 28, 102–117. https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/ThDPHJo/article/view/256843 (in Thai)
Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value. McGraw-Hill.
Minervini, G., Franco, R., Marrapodi, M. M., Di Blasio, M., Ronsivalle, V., & Cicciù, M. (2023).
Children oral health and parents education status: A cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health, 23, 787. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-023-03424-x
Ministry of Public Health, Health Data Center. (2025). Percentage of 3-year-old children with dental caries in primary teeth in Phetchabun Province. https://hdc.moph.go.th/pnb/public/standard-report-detail/e9f3192f523c79cbbbcf7b405e879384 (in Thai)
Nutbeam, D. (2008). The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science & Medicine,
(12), 2072–2078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.09.050
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). (2023). National Economic and Social Development Plan, the 13th (2023–2027). Bangkok, Thailand: NESDC. https://www.nesdc.go.th/wp-content/themes/plant3-child/assets/pdf/13/article_file_20230615134223.pdf (in Thai)
Rong, W. S., Bian, J. Y., Wang, W. J., & Wang, J. D. (2003). Effectiveness of an oral health
education and caries prevention program in kindergartens in China. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 31(6), 412–416. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1600-0528.2003.00040.x
Sornchom, P., & Chatiketu, P. (2022). Relationship between caregiver oral health literacy
and dental caries status of pre-school children in Kongkrailas District, Sukhothai Province. Journal of the Dental Association of Thailand, 72(2), 329–339. https://www.jdat.org/data/upload/file-673-20220328005124.pdf (in Thai)
Supina, S., Chaitiang, N., & Charoendee, S. (2019). Factors related to oral care behaviors
of pre-school children’s parents in child development center, NaNoi District, Nan Province. Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Medical Journal, 2(2), 1–12. https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/MNSTMedJ/article/view/248221 (in Thai)
Thamrongvongsawas, T. (2020 ). The relationship between dental health care behaviors of
guardians and dental caries preschool children in Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Regional Health Promotion Center 9 Journal: The Journal for Health Promotion and Environmental Health, 14(33), 71–87.
https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/RHPC9Journal/article/view/242408 (in Thai)
Tilaban, K. (2024 ). The effectiveness of a health literacy promotion program for parents
on oral health care behaviors of preschool children in child development centers, Pho Si Suwan District, Sisaket Province. Journal of Environmental Education Medical and Health, 9(4), 576–585. https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/hej/article/view/279912 (in Thai)
World Health Organization. (2024). Global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023–
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240090538
Wu, K., Yin, W., Liang, X., Zou, L., & Yang, Z. (2024). The influence of parents’ oral health literacy and behavior on oral health of preschool children aged 3–6 years: Evidence from China. BMC Oral Health, 24, Article 1445.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kanchanabhishek Institute of Medical and Public Health Technology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
