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MOTHERS’ PERCEPTION AND BARRIERS IN UTILISING EARLY CHILDHOOD ORAL
HEALTHCARE PROGRAMME
NMRR-16-2414-33381

Rokiah M, Marhazlinda J, Rashidah E

Introduction: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented the Early Childhood Oral
Healthcare (ECOH) programme, Malaysia since 2008 to reduce the high burden of early
childhood caries among children. ECOH was designed to incorporate oral health education
into health education to postnatal mothers. However, till to date the uptake of the ECOH
programme was not satisfactory. Objective: This study aims to explore the perceptions
and barriers of the mothers in utilising the early childhood oral healthcare programme in
Kinta District in Perak, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: The study design was a
qualitative study utilising the purposive sampling method. The in-depth-interview (IDI)
technique using piloted semi-structured questions had been employed involving
consented mothers whom at least had a child below four years old and attended the
selected Mothers and Child Health Clinics (MCHC) in Kinta District of Perak. The interview
was conducted by the researchers and assisted by one research assistant. Data saturation
was reached with eleventh participant. Verbatim transcription of data was done by two
independent transcribers. NVIVO 11 software was used for data analysis. Thematic
content analysis was undertaken. Ethical approval obtained from the Medical Research
Ethics Committee, Faculty of Dentistry, University Malaya, and National Medical Research
Registration (NMRR). Results: Eleven mothers (seven Malays, two Chinese and two
Indian) participated in the study; the age range was between 24 to 38 years old. Majority
of the mothers perceived that ECOH programme is essential to gain oral health
knowledge, prevent dental caries and reduce toddlers’ anxiety. The most critical barrier
emphasized by the mothers was the information about ECOH programme; many were
unaware of the ECOH programme or received unclear information to enable them to
utilise the care. Also, issues such as long waiting time, toddlers' oral healthcare schedule
once a week in a dental clinic and unfavourable dental clinic location were also
mentioned. Other barriers were mothers’ perception that primary teeth not important
and use dental care when facing a dental problem, parent's unpleasant dental experience,
poor dentist-patient relationship, and time constraint. Conclusion: Mothers perceived
that ECOH programme is vital for toddlers' oral health. Most of the barriers lie within the
implementation issues and patients' factors.

th
Poster presentation at the 10 Asian Conference for Oral Health and Promotion for School Children (ACOHPSC) 2019
Dr Rokiah bt Mamikutty Datin Prof Dr Rashidah bt Esa
Oral Health Programme Dr Marhazlinda bt Jamaludin
Ministry of Health Malaysia, Department of Community Dentistry and Clinical
Department of Community Dentistry and Clinical Preventive Preventive
Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Dentistry
University of Malaya University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

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