Parental attitudes about acquiring a dental home for preschool children: a new concept in the Arab state of Qatar

• Main Authors: Hendaus MA (Author), Leghrouz B (Author), Allabwani R (Author), Zainel A (Author), AlHajjaji M (Author), Siddiqui F (Author), Alamri M (Author), Alhammadi AH (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Dove Medical Press, 2018-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1179-9927
• Keywords: dental home; oral health; Qatar; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, Vol Volume 9, Pp 123-128 (2018)

Mohamed A Hendaus,1&ndash;3 Bassil Leghrouz,4 Ruba Allabwani,4 Abdelwahed Zainel,4 Mohamed AlHajjaji,4 Faisal Siddiqui,4 Mohammed Alamri,2 Ahmed H Alhammadi1&ndash;3 1Department of Pediatrics, Section of Academic General Pediatrics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar; 2Department of Pediatrics, Hamad General Corporation, Doha, Qatar; 3Department of Clinical Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar; 4Pediatric Residency Program, Hamad General Corporation, Doha, Qatar Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess parental perceptions and acceptability of a dental home for their preschool children, a new concept in the state of Qatar. Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, in the state of Qatar. Parents of infants and children <5 years of age were offered an interview survey. Results: A total of 309 questionnaires were completed (response rate =98%). More than 90% of the participants believed that oral health and dentition affected total-body well-being. Only 18% of parents stated that their children had excellent oral health. Interestingly, more than two-thirds of children had not had a routine dentist visit in the 12 months preceding the interview. Reasons for not having such visits included long appointment times (17.4%), the perception that dental care was expensive (15.5%), the notion that deciduous teeth did not need care (9%), the impression that insurance did not cover dental procedures (8%), unawareness of location of dental centers (4%), the child did not want to go (4%), the notion that children are difficult to handle during a dental procedure (3%), a combination of these factors (33.5%), and other factors (5%). When asked what factors would encourage them to enrol a dental home for their children, almost 20% mentioned speedy appointments followed by dentists specialized in pediatrics (14.3%), child-friendly atmosphere (12%), low cost (12%), close to home (5.7%), none (2.7%), others (2%), and all of the above (32.3%). Conclusion: Counseling by primary-care physicians can increase dental home acceptability in the state of Qatar, especially that access to health care is easy in our community. Keywords: dental home, oral health, Qatar