Anticipatory Guidance through Online Motivational Interviewing for Mothers on Early Childhood Caries among Young Children of Age 9-24 Months amidst Pandemics: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.

UNLABELLED: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multifactorial disease with known etiologic factors and can be very devastating to the oral and general well-being of a child, including psychological impact on a growing child. The irony is among the different factors responsible for milk that is wholesome nutrition, if fed in a wrong pattern, can be the main factor that helps this type of rampant caries spread within no time, leading to pulp exposures and complicating proceedings. Awareness is the mainstay in prevention, and creating it becomes our sole responsibility as a pediatric dentists. A multidisciplinary approach with the involvement of mothers as a main stakeholder in this front becomes a very promising move, so this project is phase two of interprofessional collaboration involving mothers in prevention; the aim of the study is to create awareness among mothers during COVID lockdown so as to prevent ECC in this covid pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 222 mothers with 9-24 months old children were selected and added to the e-groups. The allocated mothers were given a pretest questionnaire and collected back with a photo of their child's oral health, and anticipatory guidance and in-depth interviewing were given to them. Follow-up is done in 2, 4, and 6 months. Awareness is evaluated by pre- and posttest questionnaires. Reversal of the white spot is evaluated through indices, and progression is noted.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 13.

RESULT: Pretest and postquestionnaire analysis were done using the Chi-squared test. The test shows the marked raise in knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers on their children after postintervention, which was given through motivational interviewing (MI).

CONCLUSION: In summary, the MI intervention appeared to improve maternal knowledge but had no effect on oral health behaviors or on the progression of early childhood caries (ECC).

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Aravind A, Sathyaprasad S, Ilyas I. Anticipatory Guidance through Online Motivational Interviewing for Mothers on Early Childhood Caries among Young Children of Age 9-24 Months amidst Pandemics: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(2):227-236.