ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim: Investigate the factors that influence the tendency of parents to follow the advice of a dentist on the way to improving the dental health of their children and build a prognostic model. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: Materials: we analyzed 406 questionnaires (specially created by the author), which contain the answers of parents of schoolchildren of Poltava. Methods: questionnaires, medical and statistical, modeling. RESULTS: Results: The statistical processing of the questionnaires revealed a number of factors those that affect parents' compliance with the advice of a dentist, increasing or decreasing the chances of it: low sanitary and hygienic awareness of parents; non-observance of hygiene rules by parents; parents do not teach the child to care for the oral cavity;opinion of the parents that only state must take care of children's health; the recommendations of the dentist wasn`t received; child had never visited a dentist for prevention. The operational characteristics of the obtained prognostic model: the area under the curve is 0,762, which indicates a good predictability of the model. Sensitivity is 82,2%, specificity - 79,8%. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The data obtained as a result of our study and the constructed prognostic model: they indicate low sanitary and hygienic awareness of parents, paternalism of their thinking (shifting responsibility to someone, unwillingness to take responsibility), lack of medical and hygienic knowledge, as a result of which they do not apply them to themselves and, of course, to their children. The solution to this problem is possible only through informational and explanatory activities with the involvement of modern methods of communication and people who have passed appropriate training.
