Parental attitude and knowledge towards saving primary teeth in Ahmedabad: a questionnaire-based survey

Background: Primary teeth play a crucial role in a child's growth, development and oral health. Despite their importance, many parents perceive them as temporary structures that do not require adequate care, leading to increased risks of early childhood caries and associated complications. This study aims to evaluate parental knowledge and attitude toward saving primary teeth using a structured questionnaire-based survey. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 582 parents of children under 12 years. The validated questionnaire assessed socio-demographic data, knowledge about primary teeth and attitudes toward their treatment. The questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms to parents visiting dental college, local schools and community centers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: It was observed that of the total 582 participants, a majority (63.2%) were females that aged between 26-30 years (33.5%) and 52.1% held postgraduate degrees. While 66.3% correctly identified primary teeth as the first dentition, only 55.3% knew the correct number and 61.3% the eruption timeline. Although 66% acknowledged the need to treat decayed primary teeth, 57.7% sought care only when problems arose. Willingness to spend on treatment was reported by 42.3%, with 41.1% being symptom-dependent. Conclusions: The present study concluded that parental knowledge regarding primary teeth is inadequate and observed association between parental age, education and occupation with knowledge and attitude towards saving primary teeth highlighting the significant influence of sociodemographic factors on parental decision-making.