AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE TOWARD PULP THERAPY OF THE PRIMARY TEETH AMONG PARENTS IN QASSIM PROVINCE, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.

Background:-Early loss of primary teeth can cause number of problems, such as - ectopic eruption, drifting of erupted teeth, space loss for the successor teeth, development of aberrant habits such as tongue thrusting, alterations in speech, and impairment of function. Thus it is important that primary teeth should be maintained in the dental arch, provided that it can be restored to function and remain free from disease. This could be achieved mainly by restoration and pulp treatment. Aim:- To determine the level of awareness and attitude of parentstoward pulp treatment of the primary teeth in Qassim Area and compare it according to gender and level of education. Materials and Methods:-A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Qassim province among 505 sample of parents who have 12 years old children or younger. Data collection started on December 2015 using self-administered questionnaire. Results:-Out of the 505 of study sample, (47.7%) 241 were aware about the pulp treatment of primary teeth, the highest percentage were female (30.5 %) 154.Seventy seven of the study samples disagree to do pulp treatment for a badly carious primary tooth. Looking for the reason, [primary teeth don’t need pulp treatment], (71.4%) was the highest one, statistically significant difference was reported. Conclusion:- The majority of parents showed that the pain is the reason for visiting a dentist; they didn’t go regularly for chick-up. Furthermore, the parents who didn’t accept pulp treatment to a badly carious tooth believed that primary teeth don’t need pulp treatment.