Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Parents of Pre-school Children in Damascus, Syria: Cross-Sectional Study

Background Oral health practices of pre-school children are strongly influenced by their parents’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes. Parental education level, family background, and family size play important roles in shaping children’s oral hygiene behaviors. Aim This study aimed to assess the oral health practices of pre-school children and to investigate their association with parental education level, child gender, and birth order in Damascus, Syria. Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents of 2,700 pre-school children. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, kindergartens, and online forms. The questionnaire assessed oral hygiene practices, dental service utilization, dietary habits, and caries experience. Descriptive statistics were used, and associations between categorical variables were analyzed using Chi-square tests. Results Parental education level was significantly associated with dental visits, treatment of primary teeth, presence of current dental caries, and early tooth extraction due to dental caries. No statistically significant associations were found between parental education level and some dental hygiene practices. Child gender and birth order showed no statistically significant associations with oral hygiene practices or caries status. Conclusion Parental education level was associated with better utilization of dental services and a lower prevalence of dental caries among pre-school children. These findings highlight the importance of targeted parental oral health education programs to improve preventive dental care and promote oral health in early childhood.