Dear parent,
We’d like to invite you to take part in our online survey, which aims to evaluate parents’ awareness, attitudes, and behaviors regarding pediatric oral medications and their potential to cause tooth decay in Saudi Arabia.
This study is being conducted by a pediatric master’s student in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry under the supervision of a research team at the faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University.
Please fill out the questionnaire if your children are between 2 and 18 years old.
The survey will take 6–8 min. All survey information will be kept strictly confidential and will only be seen by the research team and will only be used for research purposes.
Your participation in this research is voluntary and will serve the community to increase awareness in the future.
The principal investigator,
Department of Pediatric Dentistry
King Abdulaziz University
Consent Page:
Did you read and understood the part about participants’ information in the current study?
Yes
No
Do you know that you participation is voluntary and that you are free to decline at any time?
Yes
No
Do you agree to participate in this survey?
Yes
No
General information about the family:
Q1: What is the marital status of the child’s parents?
		Married	Divorced		Widowed	Deceased
Mother’s marital status
Father’s marital status
Q2: What are the ages of the child’s parents?
		<30 years	31–40 years		41–50 years	>50 years
Mother’s age
Father’s age
Q3: What is the educational level of the child’s parents?
		<High school	High school		Diploma or University	Master/PhD
Mother’s educational level
Father’s educational level
Q4: What is the profession of the mother?
(If the options do not apply, please write the exact position in the (other) field)
Housewife An employee outside the health sector An employee in the health sector in the dental field An employee in the health sector, but not in the dental field Self-employed person Retired Other
Q5: What is the profession of the mother?
(If the options do not apply, please write the exact position in the (other) field)
Unemployed Employee outside the health sector An employee in the health sector in the dental field An employee in the health sector, but not in the dental field Self-employed person Retired Other
Q6: How many children are in the family (18 or younger)?
_______
Q7: With whom does the child live?
Mother Father Mother and father together Other
Q8: What is the monthly household income?
<(5000) SAR (5000–10,000) SAR (10,001–20,000) SAR (20,001–50,000) SAR >(50,000) SAR
Q9: What kind of housing do you live in?
Rental apartment Owned apartment Rental villa Owned villa Other
Q10: What is the region that you live in?
Riyadh Mecca Medina Qassim Eastern Province Asir Tabuk Hail Northern B orders Jizan Najran Al-Baha Al-Jawf
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices:
In this section, we would like to explore the extent of your knowledge, attitude, and practices towards children’s oral medications in their various forms (syrup-chewable-pills-inhaler) and their impact on oral and dental health
Q11: Children’s oral medications or some of them contain sugar flavorings.
True False I don’t know
If the participant chooses (True) will be directed to this following question,
Q11a: Which forms of the following oral medications may contain sugar flavorings? (Please select all possible options)
Syrup Inhaler Pills Chewing
Q12: Do some children’s oral medications increase the possibility of tooth decay?
Yes No I don’t know
Q13: Do some children’s oral medications lead to tooth erosion?
Yes No I don’t know
Q14: The aim of adding sugary flavorings in oral medications is to improve the health of the child?
True False I don’t know
Q15: Some children’s oral medications lead to dry mouth.
True False I don’t know
If the participant chooses (True) will be directed to this following question,
Q15a: Which forms of the following oral medications may lead to dry mouth?
(Please select all possible options)
Syrup Inhaler Pills Chewing
Q16: I think it is important to preserve the baby’s milk teeth.
Agree Neutral Disagree I don’t know
Q17: I think that decay of the baby’s teeth may affect permanent teeth.
Agree Neutral Disagree I don’t know
Q18: I think it is important to brush the teeth daily
Agree Neutral Disagree I don’t know
Q19: What do you usually ask your child/children to do after taking an oral medication?
Drinking water Rinsing their mouth, Brushing their teeth Nothing
If the participant chooses (Drinking water, rinsing their mouth) will be directed to this following question,
Q19a: If your child rinses/drinks some water after taking oral medications, please state the reason
______________________________________________
Q20: It is important for your child to drink water or rinse his or her mouth after taking an oral medication.
Agree Neutral Disagree I don’t know
Q21: Do you take your children to the dentist on a regular basis, at least once or twice a year?
Yes No
Q22: Do your children brush their teeth twice a day on a regular basis?
Yes No To some extent
Q23: Daily brushing of teeth is done with water only
True False I don’t know
Q24: Do you read the ingredients on the outside packet or the attached sheet inside the box before using any medications?
Yes No Sometimes
Q25: Do you have any children who used to take drugs by mouth for at least 3 months, whether on prescription or without a prescription (for example, vitamins)?
Yes No
If the answer is (yes), move on to the next section
Questions for healthy children on long term medications or medically compromised on long term medications
Please choose one child from the family who is between the ages of 2 and 12 years old and has been taking any type of oral medication or vitamin for at least 3 months and answer the following questions:
Q26: What is the child’s order in the family?
First Middle Last
Q27: Does the child suffer from any chronic diseases?
Yes No
Q28: What kind of medications does your child take?
Syrup Pills Chewing Inhaler Other
Q29: Your child is usually given medications
	Once		Twice	Three times	4 or more		When needed
When needed
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Q30: How long has the child been taking/has been taking the medication?
3–6 months 6–12 months >12 months
Q31: When time of the day does your child take his/her medications?
(You can choose more than one answer)
Morning After meals Evening at sleep Other
This questionnaire has been filled out by:
Mother Father Brother/Sister Grandparent Others