Aim: To evaluate the parental perception of the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS), and oral hygiene measures and practices that are provided for children and adolescents with Down syndrome at home.

Methodology: A total of 194 parents of 4-14 years old children and adolescents with DS attending the Genetic Disease Department, Abou El Reesh Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University were recruited to participate in the study after confirming adherence to eligibility criteria. The principal investigator distributed the questionnaire which consisted of three parts including demographic data of both parent and child, the parental perception of their children's OHRQoL, and oral hygiene measures and practices that are provided for their children and adolescents at home.

Results: About 53.6% of the parents evaluated their children's oral health as good, and 80.9% had positive parental perceptions regarding their children's OHRQoL. Besides, 79.4% of the parents were responsible for cleaning their children's teeth, 43.8% washed their children's teeth three times per day mostly using water only, and 72.7% of parents hadn't received any dental information regarding tooth brushing for their children.

Conclusions: Most parents stated that their children had good oral health, and had a positive parental perception of their children's OHRQoL. The majority of parents were responsible for cleaning their children's teeth three times per day using only water as they hadn't received any information regarding tooth brushing for their children.