Parents’ Knowledge and Practices Regarding Children’s Oral Hygiene: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Objective To assess parents' knowledge of recommended oral-hygiene practices for children and to describe oral-hygiene behaviors within families (parents and children), as well as factors associated with children's oral-hygiene outcomes. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mostar (January-June 2025) among 405 parents or guardians of children aged 0-18 years. A structured questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics, oral-hygiene habits, and parental knowledge. The questionnaire was specifically developed for this study and validated through expert review and pilot testing. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests were used, with statistical significance set at p