Perception and Practices of Parents regarding Milk Consumption and its Association with Oral Health among School going Children of Lahore- a Questionnaire-based Survey

Objective: To assess the perception and practice of parents regarding milk consumption and its benefits as well as its association with oral health among school-going children of Lahore. Study Design: Questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional survey. Duration: 1st January 2022 to 10th May 2022. Methods: With the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Committee of de 'Montmorency College of Dentistry and the participating schools. Data was collected using in-hand questionnaires administered during scheduled parent-teacher meetings. The chi-Square test was used to compare milk consumption and other variables. Results: In the present study, 89.1% children had regular milk drinking habits. The most preferred source of milk was buffalo (45.4%), followed by cow (42.3%) and goat (7.9%). There was no statistically significant difference between male and female students regarding habit and amount of milk consumption. Parents of government school-going children are keener regarding oral cavity cleaning after milk consumption. Two-thirds of the participants were aware of the term lactose intolerance. There was a statistically significant difference between the views of parents of private and public-school-going children regarding the association of milk with dental caries. Conclusion: The majority of children consume milk regularly. Awareness of parents about milk nutrition and lactose intolerance was adequate. Parents should be educated about the different sources of milk and their benefits. Regular oral cavity cleansing should be recommended after drinking sweetened or unsweetened dairy.