Abstract Background: Oral habits are considered pernicious when they are not considered normal and pose a potential risk to the overall quality of life of an individual. They have long-term complications such as malocclusion. Mothers play a significant role in the upbringing of their children, and as such, they can help intercept some of those habits at an early stage if they know the appropriate action to take. This study aims to assess the level of awareness, knowledge and perception of oral habits and habit-breaking appliances amongst pregnant mothers attending the antenatal clinic, Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, Zamfara State. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study amongst pregnant mothers attending the antenatal clinic of the FMC Gusau. Data were obtained using a self-administered, structured questionnaire and analysed using the SPSS software version 25.0. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 27.6 ± 6.5, and the majority ( n = 142, 41.3%) of the respondents had secondary level of education; almost three quarter ( n = 254, 73.8%) were full-time homemakers. The majority ( n = 202, 59.0%) were aware of the oral habits in children. Almost all the respondents ( n = 333, 96.8%) were not aware about the habit-breaking appliances. There was a statistically significant association when oral habit awareness was compared with the level of education and occupation, with P < 0.001 and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: There was an acceptable level of awareness about oral habits, poor awareness about habit-breaking appliances and poor perception about its complications and the role of a dentist in its management.
Abubakar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.