Parental Views on Antibiotics in Dentistry

Parental Perceptions of Antibiotic Use in Pediatric Dentistry: a Cross-sectional Study Using the PAPA Scale

This study aims to assess parents' knowledge of antibiotic use and its relationship with their children's oral health.

This study included 805 children (ages 3-14 years) and their parents. A face-to-face questionnaire with 45 items was used to assess parental knowledge and attitudes using the PAPA (Parental Perceptions on Antibiotics) scale. Children's oral health was clinically evaluated using DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) and PUFA (pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess) indices.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children whose parents were literate in Turkish, enabling reliable communication.
• Children whose parents had no communication impairments, ensuring accurate data collection.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children who attended the clinic with a legal guardian or relative other than their parents.
• Children whose parents had inadequate health status preventing successful completion of the questionnaire.
• Children with any diagnosed mental illness.
• Children whose parents had any diagnosed mental illness.