Anak usia 6-12 tahun memiliki kerentanan terhadap karies gigi. Kesehatan gigi anak perlu mendapat perhatian orang tua khususnya dari ibu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui determinan perilaku ibu dalam pencegahan karies gigi anak berdasarkan teori Health Belief Model. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain cross sectional dengan 140 ibu siswa. Terpilih enam SDN dengan teknik cluster random sampling. Jumlah sampel dihitung dengan rumus proportional sampling dan sampel diambil secara systematic random sampling. Data dikumpulkan dengan wawancara menggunakan kuesioner yang dianalisis secara univariat, bivariat dan multivariat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 53,6 % ibu berperilaku kurang dalam pencegahan karies gigi anak. Persepsi individu yang berhubungan dengan perilaku ibu adalah persepsi kerentanan dan efikasi diri. Efikasi diri adalah faktor paling dominan berhubungan dengan perilaku ibu, artinya ibu dengan efikasi diri rendah berpeluang 3,4 kali untuk memiliki perilaku kurang dalam pencegahan karies gigi anak dibandingkan ibu dengan efikasi diri yang tinggi setelah dikontrol oleh persepsi kerentanan dan persepsi hambatan (OR:3,475,95%CI:1,653-7,306). Untuk itu, perlu ditingkatkan efikasi diri ibu dengan edukasi dan penyuluhan serta membentuk kelompok dukungan ataupun forum online.
Children aged 6-12 years have vulnerabilities to dental caries. Children's dental health needs to get good attentions of parents, especially from mothers. This study aims to determine the determinants of maternal behavior in preventing dental caries in children based on the theory of the Health Belief Model. This study used a cross-sectional design on 140 students’ mothers. Six elementary schools were selected using the cluster random sampling technique. The number of samples were calculated using the proportional sampling formula and the samples were collected using systematic random sampling. Data was gathered by interviewes using questionnaires which were analyzed by univariate, bivariate and multivariate. The results showed that 53.6% of mothers had poor behaviors in preventing children dental caries. Individual perceptions related to mother's behavior are perceptions of vulnerability and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the most dominant factor related to maternal behavior, meaning that mothers with low self-efficacy are 3.4 times more likely to demonstrate deficiencies in preventing dental caries in children than those with high self-efficacy after being controlled by perceived vulnerability and perceived obstacles (OR: 3,475 .95%CI:1.653-7.306). For this reason, it is esenssial to increase mothers’ self-efficacy with education and counseling as well as forming support groups or online forums.