The Parent's Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Towards the Effects of Using Iron Supplements on Tooth Staining and Dental Caries; in Year 2014 in Ahvaz

Iron is essential element in the body and has important role in function and development of nervous system and is effective on caries reduction. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, lethargy, immune system deficiency and reduction in learning and cognitive processes. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behavior of the parents of 4 months to 2 years old children, towards the effects of using iron supplements on tooth staining and dental caries in their children.
Subjects and This cross-sectional study was performed on 198 parents attending health centers of Ahvaz. The questionnaire was developed from past researches of research and consisted 4 main parts (demographic information, knowledge, attitude, behavior). Data from the questionnaire were statistically analyzed by descriptive-analytical tests (T-test,Tukey, Pearson and Spearman).
The mean of attitude was 2.95, knowledge 2.93, and behavior 2.05, respectively. Main variables had no significant relation with parent’s age. But the behavior of responders was significant in regard to mothers’ education (r= 0.23) and fathers’ education (r= 0.28) and knowledge of responders was significant in regard to mothers education (r= 0.22). The knowledge and attitude had significant relationship (r= 0/22) (P The parents’ knowledge and awareness in regards to use of iron supplement was moderate. But their behavior in consumption was poor and needs more attention.