ABSTRACT
Objective: To measure the knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of parents in regards to their understanding of early childhood caries (ECC) in Al jouf province, Saudi Arabia (KSA). Material and Methods: A cross-sectional oral health survey was conducted among 228 parents, who were selected by stratified cluster sampling. A questionnaire consisting of 10 questions in each domain addressing knowledge, attitude, and preventive practice for ECC was applied. Scoring in the knowledge field included Yes/No/Don't know, while the attitude and practice domains used a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The mean values for knowledge of the respondents was 'Yes' (106.1 ±46.12), 'No' (63.5 ±50.95), and 'Don't know' (58.4 ±23.21); the p-value was p>0.05. The mean values for attitudes of the parents were strongly disagree (49.8 ±33.51), disagree (28 ±15.63), cannot say (47.4 ±20.33), agree (69.4 ±26.57), and strongly agree (33.4 ±30.48); the p-value was p<0.05. The mean values for preventive practices were strongly disagree (23.3 ±25.15), disagree (27.6 ±28.29), cannot say (38.9 ±31.8), agree (84.9 ±28.07), and stronglyagree (53.3 ±38.73); the p-value was <0.05. Conclusion: The parents did not have adequate knowledge of ECC but did have a good attitude and practice towards its prevention.