Assessment of Investment willingness by Parents in Primary Oral Health Care of Preschool Children in Sulaymaniyah Governorate: A Prospective Study

Background and objectives: Preservation of the primary dentition is crucial for the overall health of children and the subsequent permanent teeth. Investment in primary dentition by families plays an important role in oral health promotion. The study aims to assess the willingness of parents to invest in the oral health of preschool children in the Sulaymaniyah governorate. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at different geographical locations in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, from January through July 2023. A structured questionnaire was distributed to be answered by three hundred sixty-eight parents. The questionnaire focused on the desire to invest money and time in preschool children`s dental health in addition to the demographic information, perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors of the participants that related to children's oral health. Results: Despite their education, the 368 parents showed unwillingness to invest money (64.04%) in their children`s oral health in contrast to the investment in time by visiting dentist 1-2 visits/year (71.70%) and brushing teeth 1-3 min/day (60.90%). With p value= 0.271, This suggests that there are no significant associations between the education level of parents and willingness to pay, p value = 0.019 which is an indication of a statistically significant relation between investment in time and the education level of parents. Conclusions: Parents with regular teeth brushing behavior showed a significant willingness for investment, yet, working on the upper stream to advocate this subject, and tackling parents` responsibilities about children’s oral health are needed.