RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate mothers who participated in an educational and preventive program for infants in relation to their knowledge on oral health practices. METHODS: A cohort study was performed with 112 mothers and their babies aged 0 to 8 months and registered in the project "Promotion of Oral Health in Early Childhood" from the Federal University of Maranhão (Northeast Brazil). Initially, semi-structured interviews on the level of mothers' knowledge as to their babies' oral health were conducted. The oral cavities of the infants were also examined regarding: level of plaque, gingival bleeding, and dental caries. Then, educational lectures were ministered and, after a year of follow-up, new interviews and clinical examination were performed. For statistical analysis, the chi-square and Fisher exact tests were applied, being significant p<0.05. RESULTS: Before the educational lectures, 93% of the mothers performed oral hygiene of their babies and 57.3% performed it at daytime and nighttime. After the lectures, all mothers performed the oral hygiene (p>0.02) and 74.7% performed it at daytime and nighttime (p=0.01). There were no differences regarding the consumption of cariogenic food in the initial and final questionnaires (p>0.05). Initially, 5.6% of dental surfaces had caries; 29.7%, plaques; and 11.9%, gingival bleeding. After the lectures, only 0.4% of the dental surfaces had caries (p<0.0001); 2.4%, plaque (p<0.0001); and 10.61%, gingival bleeding (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge acquisition is essential to improve oral health conditions.