Parent’s knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the important role of primary teeth among children with special need

Premature loss (early loss) of primary teeth will disrupt the eruption of permanent teeth due to reduced space for eruption of the permanent teeth. Lack of space causes permanent teeth to erupt outside the correct dental arch, or push against neighboring teeth causing malocclusion in children. Dental caries is one of the main factors causing premature loss of primary teeth, especially in children with low levels of oral hygiene. Children with disabilities tend to have higher rates of dental caries and premature loss of teeth than children without disabilities. The role of parents is much greater in maintaining dental and oral health, considering the limitations of children to carry out dental and oral care independently. The low awareness and attitude of parents in an effort to maintain primary teeth is influenced by the wrong stigma that primary teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth so that there is no need for optimal care or maintenance. This study aims to describe the level of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of parents of children with special needs regarding the importance of the role of children's primary teeth in the Special Elementary School (SDLB) Surabaya. This type of research is observational analytic with a cross-sectional approach. The results obtained in this study are 44.6% of respondents have a fairly good knowledge, 58.4% of respondents have a fairly good attitude, and 37.6% of respondents in the category of behavior are quite good.