A recent consumer survey focused on patient attitudes, knowledge and beliefs about dental care for children and dental infection control concluded the importance of continued messaging on establishing a dentist-patient relationship for children by one year of age will be critical to the parents' knowledge and use of such information, according to RDmag.com.
The survey polled 304 United States adults between age 18 to 65, with an augmented section including 75 respondents in the same age range but who fell below the poverty line.
Here are five things to know about the survey, according to the report:
1. Of 102 respondents who are parents of children under age 18, on average their child's first dental visit was 2.5 years, a year and a half older than the recommended 12 month first visit recommendation by AAPD, and two years over the six month age recommendation by AAP for a child's first oral health screening.
2. From the low socioeconomic respondents, 9 percent said they could not afford dental care, and their child's first dental visit was at age 3.4 years old, on average.
3. Thirty-five percent of respondents recalled hearing stories about infectious diseases in dental offices, and for 54 percent of these people, it changed their point of view on going to the dentist.
4. Thirty-four percent of adults expressed concerns regarding the cleanliness of bib holders in the dentist office.
5. Researchers also concluded the "communication on the importance and use of dental sealants will be crucial to the continued eradication of early childhood caries," according to the report.
Information on the use of proper infection control technologies will also continue to help educate consumers on the different types of dental products to use in the office.
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