Characteristics and influencing factors of the first dental visit among children in Bangkok, Thailand: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The first dental visit (FDV) is fundamental to good oral health. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of FDV, including the influencing factors, in children attending the government dental hospital in Bangkok.

Methods: This study included 289 pairs of new patients (aged 0-12 years) and their parents. The questionnaires, consisting of three parts: socio-demographic, reasons for the child's FDV and for not having FDV earlier, and the children's oral health knowledge and attitude, were completed by parents. The Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare variables among age groups. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that influence the age at FDV. The variables included in the analysis were the child's characteristics, the family's socio-demographic background, the presence of symptoms, and the parents' knowledge and attitude towards their child's oral health.

Results: The mean ages of children at FDV were 5.57 ± 2.88 (age range of 0.58-11.92) years. There were 2.42% who had FDV ≤ 12 months of age, and 76.5% of all children already had dental caries. A low attitude score among parents was significantly found in the older age group of children (p = 0.001). The influencing factors with the age at FDV were the parental age (p < 0.001), the presence of symptoms or chief complaints (p = 0.016), and the presence of dental caries (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Children in Bangkok had seriously delayed FDV compared to the recommended guidelines. The parental age strongly influenced the proper age at FDV, together with the presence of symptoms or chief complaints, and the presence of dental caries. Thus, an effective campaign to raise awareness about FDV is still needed, especially in advanced maternal age.