438 - Knowhow/Actions Taken by Parents Regarding Fluoride and Choice of Toothpastes

Purpose: Identify and evaluate parents knowledge of fluoride and toothpastes and how this influences their actions.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire with 325 parents of children aged 6 months to 6 years. Participants had to be over 18 years old and those who did not purchase toothpaste for their child's oral hygiene were excluded. Ethical approval was obtained from the Fernando Pessoa University Ethics Committee. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, involving Cramer's V, Spearman's tests and the non-parametric chi-squared test with a significance level of 5%.

Results: The sample consisted of 325 parents, 87% of whom said they knew the function of fluoride. Of those interviewed, 56% regularly took their children to the dentist, with 51% doing so every 6 months. When buying toothpaste, 51% based their decision on the "amount of fluoride indicated for their child's age". With regard to the concentration of fluoride, the majority (61%) reported that they were "always" concerned. Regarding the amount of toothpaste, 72% used the recommended amount. When asked about dental fluorosis, 69% were unaware of the term.

Conclusion: Although parents claimed to know about fluoride, their understanding of its daily use was limited, especially in terms of the criteria for buying toothpaste and the concentration of fluoride. However, correct daily use of toothpaste was predominant. There was a clear relationship between dental appointments and knowledge about fluoride, emphasizing the need to increase access to adequate information about prevention and oral health care in the population.