DIFFERENCES KNOWLEDGE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES (ECC) PREVENTION AMONG PRIMIPAROUS AND MULTIPAROUS BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS

Early Childhood Caries is a common dental health issue among children. According to the Basic Health Research of Lampung Province in 2018, the prevalence of active dental caries ranged from 19.6% to 20.67%. Multiparous breastfeeding mothers (> 1 child) tend to have more experience and are likely to possess better knowledge regarding oral health compared to primiparous mothers (1 child). The aim of this study is to analyze the differences in knowledge about Early Childhood Caries prevention between primiparous and multiparous breastfeeding mothers at the Maternal and Child Health Clinic of Satelit Public Health Center Bandar Lampung City. This study is a quantitative cross-sectional study with comparative analytical testing using the Mann-Whitney test. A sample of 100 participants was selected through quota sampling. The participants were interviewed using a questionnaire consisting of 8 questions. The results showed that the average knowledge score for primiparous breastfeeding mothers was 4.09±1.176, while for multiparous breastfeeding mothers, it was 4.79±1.160. Bivariate analysis showed a significant difference p=0.019 in knowledge about Early Childhood Caries prevention between multiparous and primiparous breastfeeding mothers. This study indicates a significant difference in Early Childhood Caries prevention knowledge, with multiparous breastfeeding mothers having greater knowledge compared to primiparous breastfeeding mothers.