Abstract
By choosing guardians with preschool children as subjects, this study has been conducted for understanding the caries prevalence conditions among preschool children and the actual state of caries prevention. In addition, this study examined the effects of the way guardians regard dental health as well as the between-meal eating environment on the dietary behavior of children. The results are summarized as follows.
1. The caries prevalence rate amounts to 33.8%, and the prevalence rate significantly increases with age.
2. As for the caries prevention method (caries guidance), the same tendency is seen in both homes and dental hospitals, in which the state of dental health is highly evaluated and the state of the practical habit of dietary life is less evaluated.
3. The rate (60.3%) of the guardians among the caries-affected group who believe that caries can be prevented is significantly low, compared to the rate (72.3%) of those among the caries-free group.
4. The reasons of the guardians who think that the caries of children cannot be prevented or it is difficult to judge are based on hereditary reasons or weak dental qualities in many cases. Recognition of the involvement in dietary life is scarce.
5. It has been clarified that the between-meal eating environment at home produces irregular between-meal eating by the children, which is likely to induce caries.
6. Judging from freely written opinions, many people seem to have realized the importance of caries prevention methods as well as between-meal eating and dietary life, and also realized the problems of the between-meal eating environment and between-meal eating behavior. This questionnaire may have a become a motivation for the discovery and solution of such problems.
7. The needs of the guardians who seek an information service and learning opportunities on eating have been found to be high.
As for the prevention of caries occurrence among children, it has been suggested that the active dental health behavior and awareness by guardians become important factor, and that the involvement of the regional society to support this behavior is important.
