Relevance. The high prevalence of tooth decay requires investigation of its risk factors. The aim was to study tooth decay risk factors among six-year-old children according to the level of dental health (based on parents’ assessment).Materials and methods. The research evaluated the dental health of six-year-olds and factors defining their oral health; The study surveyed 515 parents of six-year-old children from 7 kindergartens in Arkhangelsk. Pearson chi-square test assessed the differences in the frequency of tooth decay factors among six-year-old children according to the level of dental health. The accepted significance level was 0.05.Results. The Arkhangelsk parents evaluated the dental health of their six-year-olds as relatively favourable: good (41.2%) and satisfactory (46.6%). Only 9.5% of children had poor health. Children generally had good oral hygiene skills: 86.8% liked brushing their teeth; 60.2% squeezed the optimal amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush; 56.7% brushed their teeth twice a day. The dental literacy of parents was satisfactory: 67.0% purchased toothpaste for children; 90.8% considered necessary to treat primary teeth; 69.2% replaced toothbrush every three months; 59.7% visited a pediatric dentist twice a year. The children with poor dental health had insufficient oral hygiene skills: 46.9% did not like teeth cleaning; 51.1% brushed their teeth once a day. Their diet was not healthy: 100.0% did not eat hard food; 65.3% frequently consumed sweets. The parents of children with poor dental health had low medical literacy and poor oral hygiene: 46.9% did not know that treatment of primary teeth was necessary; 42.9% considered the treatment of primary teeth as unnecessary; 32.6% purchased whatever toothpaste. The general negative trend is to use toothpaste without fluoride (68.1%).Conclusions. The results of the study demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of cariogenic factors in children with poor dental health.
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