Knowledge and Attitudes of Mothers with a Preschool Children About Pacifier Usage

Abstract

Backgrounds: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of mothers with preschool children about pacifier usage. Methods: A semi-structured survey was applied to 143 mothers attending the pediatric dental clinic due to their children’s dental problems. In addition to sociodemographic information, the mothers were asked to fill out a 31-question survey containing issues regarding the age and duration of pacifier use, reasons, cleaning method, factors affecting pacifier selection, and damages of pacifiers. Frequency analysis was used in the distribution of the data, and the Chi-square test was used for statistical evaluation. Results: The majority of the mothers (51.7%) stated they started were using pacifiers in the first month following the birth of the baby. Also, 39.2% of them stated that a reason for using pacifiers was to make the child easier to fall asleep. It was found that pacifiers were most frequently used while falling asleep at night (60.7%). Majority of the mothers (85.7%) reported the pacifier has harmful effects and 50% of them thought that the pacifier induces speech delay and also 41.3% of them thought that it causes protrusion of the teeth. Conclusion: It was determined that mothers had some knowledge about the damages and effects of pacifier usage, but they didn't have enough knowledge about the types and cleaning methods of pacifiers. It was thought that parents should be informed about the correct pacifier usage, which has a great impact on the dental and general health of children. © 2023, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.