Parental Awareness and Dental Attendance of Children Among African Immigrants

To assess parental awareness of their child’s dental status and the relationship between parental awareness and children’s dental attendance. Participants were children aged 6 years or younger and their African parents who had lived in Canada for up to 10 years. Demographics and parents’ perceived dental status were collected. Children’s normative dental status was determined by dental examinations. 125 pairs of parents and children aged 21–72 months were included. 52 % of the children never had a dental visit. Dental status of 44 % of children was rated as good by parents, among them, 56 % had dental decay. Parental assessments did not coincide with the clinical assessments of 62 % of children. No correlation was found between parental awareness and children’s dental attendance. Children of African immigrants are at high risk for developing severe dental decay because of low parental awareness and lack of regular dental visits.