Assessment of Oral Health Knowledge of Mothers of Under-Five Children in Zamfara State

Maternal oral health knowledge is a primary determinant of children's early dental care practices, and its assessment in North West Nigeria provides evidence for mother-targeted early childhood dental health education. This study assessed the oral health knowledge of mothers of children under five years attending immunisation clinics in Gusau and Bungudu Local Government Areas, Zamfara State. A cross-sectional survey of 320 mothers was conducted using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Knowledge domains assessed included teething and infant oral hygiene, sugar feeding practices, age of first dental visit, early childhood caries recognition, and use of fluoridated products. Results showed an overall poor knowledge level in 74.1 percent of respondents based on aggregate knowledge score. Only 22.8 percent knew that infant gums should be cleaned before teeth erupt. The recommended age for a child's first dental visit was not known to 88.4 percent. Sweetened gruel given to infants as a nighttime food was practised by 61.6 percent. Only 14.1 percent knew that baby teeth affected adult tooth development. Women with higher education levels showed significantly better knowledge. Recommendations include integrating structured oral health counselling messages into the immunisation clinic visit for mothers in Zamfara State, training community health workers in infant oral health education, producing oral health pictorial materials in Hausa, and collaborating with NHIS maternal health programmes for message delivery.

Keywords: oral health knowledge, mothers, under-five children, Zamfara State, early childhood