THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORAL HYGIENE STATUS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND PARENT’S SELF-EFFICACY IN MAINTAINING THEIR ORAL HYGIENE

Children with Down syndrome has specific characteristics with moderate intellectual retardation, mental retardation, and cognitive and motoric limitations. Children with Down syndrome is found to have a periodontal disease due to poor oral hygiene. Children's oral health is influenced by parental self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to analyze how the relationship between the oral hygiene status of children with Down syndrome and parents' self-efficacy about maintaining oral hygiene in the Surabaya area. This study was an observational analytical study with a cross-sectional design. This study involved 100 respondents from parents and children with Down syndrome in special schools in Surabaya and children with Down syndrome Parents Association (POTADS). Simple random sampling was performed as the survey sampling method. Data collection on oral hygiene status was obtained through dental examinations, while parents' self-efficacy about maintaining their children’s oral hygiene was obtained through filling out valid and reliable questionnaire instruments. Data analysis used the Spearman correlation test. As a result, the oral hygiene status of children with Down syndrome has a low score (54%), and parental self-efficacy about maintaining oral hygiene in children with Down syndrome has a low category score (53%). There is a very significant relationship between the oral hygiene status of children with Down syndrome and parental self-efficacy about maintaining oral hygiene in children with Down syndrome (p=0.000; -0,507). The higher the self-efficacy value of parents, the lower the oral hygiene status of children with Down syndrome