{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T23:41:05Z","timestamp":1782862865442,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]],"date-time":"2025-11-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762300800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of the Americas","award":["595.B.XVII.25"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["595.B.XVII.25"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinics and Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Oral health in children is essential for their overall well-being, influencing nutrition, language development, and self-esteem. Dental caries represent one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in childhood. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between parents\u2019 self-perceived knowledge of oral health and the presence of dental caries in their children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 1052 children aged 4 to 14 years and their parents in Quito, Ecuador. Parents completed validated questionnaires (OHIP-14, OIDP, CPQ, and OHQoL-UK) to assess their self-perceived oral health knowledge. Clinical examinations were performed to detect cavitated carious lesions. Statistical analysis included Chi-square tests and odds ratio (OR) calculations. Results: A significant association was found between lower parental knowledge and higher prevalence of dental caries in children (Chi-square = 16.245, p = 0.0062; OR = 18.18, 95% CI [1.80\u2013183.75]). Most caries cases were found in children whose parents rated their knowledge as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cvery good,\u201d suggesting a gap between perceived and actual knowledge. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for targeted educational strategies that address both knowledge and behavioral practices in oral health, especially among parents with low self-perceived knowledge.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clinpract15110204","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]],"date-time":"2025-11-05T07:58:05Z","timestamp":1762329485000},"page":"204","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Association Between Parents\u2019 Self-Perceived Oral Health Knowledge and the Presence of Dental Caries in Their Children"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Andrea","family":"Coello Hidalgo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4154-0842","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Alvear Miquilena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-3553-004X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esteven","family":"Tipan Venegas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yeslith","family":"Sandoval S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2523-6687","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego","family":"Quiguango Farias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Rodriguez Tates","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5660-3941","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Byron","family":"Velasquez Ron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"},{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Department Prosthesis Research, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.1007\/s40368-019-00418-8","article-title":"Oral health-related quality of life in children using the child perception questionnaire CPQ11-14: A review","volume":"20","author":"Bruno","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur. 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