Factors Influencing Parents' Decision in Choosing a Pediatric Dentist.

Introduction Pediatric dentists support children's dental health while also providing parents with health education and information. Parents are guardians of their children's oral health, as their knowledge, beliefs, also attitude about oral health can influence early childhood oral health directly or indirectly. Recognizing parenting practices on early childhood oral health is essential for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for the child, because parents' health attitudes, behavior, and their children's dental health are usually influenced directly or indirectly by their practice. Objectives of this study were to find out what factors parents prefer while choosing a pediatric dentist for their kids, to assess parent attitudes towards management of a symptomatic primary tooth, to analyze parental understanding of the importance of deciduous teeth, and to assess parent knowledge and perception regarding their child. Methodology A cross-sectional study conducted at Sharad Pawar Dental College and Hospital was done, where 20 questions were posed to the parents who came with their children for dental treatment. Questions were divided into two parts, knowledge-based assessment scale and perception-based assessment scale. The questions were formulated to assess the knowledge of parents regarding dental care, their perception, and their attitude toward the decision-making while selecting a pediatric dentist for their kids. The questions also included information about the child's habits and associated problems with it. Three hundred parents of children under 14 years of age were chosen randomly where all parents were adequately informed beforehand, and their written consent was taken before proceeding with the questions. All the questions were formulated in the native language that they could easily understand. A convenient method was applied as per the respondent from an offline questionnaire survey.  Results By evaluating the parental knowledge as well as perception towards children's oral health and dental treatment we are able to determine which aspects parents prefer while selecting a pediatric dentist for their child. The study found that parents had limited knowledge about the causes, treatment, prevention, and consequences of oral health problems in children. Many parents neglect oral health problems and lack correct knowledge. Conclusion  Hence this study assesses the parental knowledge as well as perception towards children's oral health. This study concludes that it is crucial to raise awareness about oral health among parents and inform them about available treatments, consequences of negligence and future problems to aid them in decision-making.