RESUMO
The objective of the study was to obtain information about oral health knowledge in parents of disable children and the parents' awareness about their disable child's oral health. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized for this purpose. A total of 300 parents [235 [78.3%] mothers and 65 [21.7%] fathers] from the six disability centers in Riyadh completed the questionnaire. Slightly more than two-third [68.0%] of the parents thought that one must visit a dentist at least once every six months. Almost all the parents [99.7%] thought that cleaning teeth was important; mainly to prevent tooth decay [89.3%]. About nine in ten [92.7%] parents had heard about fluoride. However, only 17.3% considered water as a possible source of fluoride. A high percentage of parents were not aware of cariogenic potential of packed juices [82.3%] and sweetened milks [74.3%]. Regarding parents' awareness about their child's oral health; 86.7% of the parents claimed to observe their child's oral health. Almost all [98.7%] of them responded that they can maintain a good dental health in their children by supervising their tooth brushing, reducing sugary food intake and making regular visits to a dentist. A great majority [94.7%] of the parents believe that their child needs assistance in maintaining good oral hygiene. In about half [47.5%] of the children, the last dental visit was the first ever visit to a dentist, and one-fifth [20.5%] of the last visits were due to dental pain. It can be concluded that parents' knowledge of oral health was satisfactory in most areas. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the oral health of their disable children