Latar Belakang : Peran orang tua sangat penting bagi anak berkebutuhan khusus karena anak dengan disabilitas memiliki keterbatasan dalam melakukan aktivitasnya sehari-hari. Anak dengan kebutuhan khusus rentan mengalami karies gigi maka dari itu peran orang tua sangat diperlukan untuk pencegahan karies gigi. Tujuan : Untuk mengetahui gambaran dari peran orang tua dalam pencegahan karies gigi pada anak berkebutuhan khusus Metode : Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif dengan pendekatan crosssectional. Teknik sampling yang digunakan adalah total sampling dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 107 responden. Data diambil menggunakan kuesioner yaitu kuesioner peran orang tua dalam pencegahan karies gigi dengan tipe self-completed questionnaire serta data diolah menggunakan statistik deskripstif untuk menghasilkan distribusi frekuensi dan presentase. Hasil : Hasil penelitian menunjukkan mayoritas responden dengan peran orang tua dalam kategori baik sebanyak 97 responden (90,7%) dan cukup sebanyak 10 responden (9,3%). Kesimpulan : Keterlibatan orang tua dalam pencegahan karies gigi memiliki peran penting bagi anak berkebutuhan khusus untuk mencegah timbulnya karies gigi. Petugas kesehatan diharapkan dapat menyelenggarakan program penyuluhan tentang pemeliharaan serta pemeriksaan kesehatan gigi dan mulut agar orang tua dapat meningkatkan kesehatan anaknya. Kata Kunci : Karies Gigi, Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus, Peran Orang Tua

Background: Parents play an important role among children with special needs, because they have limitations in carrying out their daily activities. Children with special needs are prone to dental caries, so the role of parents is needed to prevent dental caries. Purpose: To describe the role of parents in preventing dental caries among children with special needs at special school in Denpasar city Method: This study employed quantitative design with cross-sectional approach. There were 107 respondents recruited as sample of the study which were selected using total sampling technique. The data collected using questionnaire of parent’s role in preventing dental caries with self-completed questionnaire type. The data analysed using descriptive statistics to produce frequency distributions and percentages. Result: The finding showed that there were 97 respondents (90.7%) had good role of parents and there were 10 respondents (9.3%) had moderate role of parents. Conclusion: Parental involvement in preventing dental caries play an important role among children with special needs to prevent the development of dental caries. Health practitioners are expected to organize oral health examinations and maintenance counselling programs to help parents to improve their children’s health. Keywords: Dental Caries, Children with Special Need, Role of Parents