General Practice and Primary Care - Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    The Beautiful Smile Project: tackling early childhood caries in Qatar
    Alkhtib, Asmaa Othman ( 2013)
    A beautiful smile can be jeopardised by oral diseases such as dental caries, which is considered to be one of the most prevalent human diseases. Early Childhood Caries is a type of dental caries that affects children under the age of six and is the most prevalent disease of childhood. The aetiology of dental caries is complex with social, biological and dietary factors underlying development of the disease. Parental knowledge and attitudes towards oral health may have an effect on their children’s oral health. Health care providers can play a significant role in oral health promotion for children in the primary care setting. The main aim of this research is to establish the evidence for the need for an oral health promotion program for preschool children in Qatar. A secondary aim of this research is to assess the need for and acceptability of an oral health promotion program, the “Beautiful Smile Project”, in primary health centres and kindergartens in Qatar. This project used a multi-method research strategy and presents results from four interlinking investigations. The first study was an epidemiological study to substantiate the prevalence of early childhood caries. The second and third studies involved surveying mothers and health professionals in relation to their knowledge, attitude and practices around oral health of preschool children. The last study employed a qualitative approach and included interviews and focus groups of mothers and health professionals to assess their opinions about the need for an oral health promotion program, “The Beautiful Smile Project”. The results showed that early childhood caries was a significant problem with a prevalence of 89% and dmft of 7.5. The surveys showed that there was good level of oral health knowledge and relatively positive attitudes towards oral health of young children. However, there is a need for improvement in the practices related to oral health. The results showed that there was significant lack of oral health services directed to children five years and younger. The vast majority of participants in the qualitative study knew the problem of early childhood caries and were seeking ways to manage it. The results of this research showed the need for a health promotion program, offered constructive views to the barriers identified and reflected a wide acceptability for the “Beautiful Smile Project”