How pre-school children learn to brush their teeth in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess tooth brushing habits of pre-school children and to determine the role and amount of supervision given to them by their parents.

Method: One hundred pre-school children below 6 years were selected from Maternal and Child Health Center, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates, UAE). A standard piloted questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic details and information on oral hygiene practise.

Results: Tooth brushing was stared at a mean age of 16 months. Thirty-seven per cent of the pre-schoolers used a toothbrush for cleaning their teeth and the brushing habits were mainly (70%) introduced by mothers. The majority (80%) of children's tooth brushing at the age of 3 years and above was supervised by mothers. Younger children were frequently supervised in tooth brushing than older children (P < 0.05)

Conclusions: In summary, pre-school children of Sharjah (UAE) were introduced to tooth brushing at a mean age of 16 months. Mothers played a pivotal role in introducing and teaching the child how to brush. There was no positive correlation between the brushing behaviour of the mothers and their children. In most cases, the children's brushing was supervised by their mother when they were above 25 months of age. In children less than 12 months of age tooth brushing was not started at all.