Oral Hygiene Practices and Fluoride Toothpaste Use in Children Under 3 Years Old in Lima, Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aims and background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common noncommunicable disease in children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The daily use of fluoride toothpaste is the most effective strategy for caries prevention and control. This study aims to determine the oral hygiene practices and use of fluoride toothpaste in children under 3 years old.

Materials and methods

Using a questionnaire about oral hygiene habits, this cross-sectional study surveyed 502 parents and caregivers of children under 3 years old during pediatric check-ups at a hospital in Lima, Peru. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data; absolute and relative frequencies were calculated for categorical variables. Quantitative variables were assessed using graphical methods, descriptive statistics, and summarized as medians and interquartile ranges due to their nonnormal distribution. Fisher's exact test was applied to assess the association between the toothpaste type and the child's age, with a significance level of 0.05.