Mothers who were more knowledgeable about
their children’s oral hygiene needs, felt more
efficacious, and brushed their own teeth had
children who brushed more frequently. Young
children depend on their mothers to take care of
their oral health needs, so mothers play a very
key role in influencing her child’s habits and
health status. Thus, the findings that maternal
self-efficacy, feelings of fatalism, knowledge
about appropriate bottle behaviors and children’s
oral hygiene needs, and whether or not the
mother brushes her own teeth at bedtime were
all associated with children’s brushing warrant
attention. Mothers have some power to control or
change each of these factors. Bandura (40) and
Gist and Mitchell (41) provide some useful
strategies and direction for enhancing self-efficacy.
Results from this study have direct implications
for the development of tailored educational
programs and cognitive-behavioral based interventions
in this population.