ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOLCHILDRENS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS FOR ORAL HEALTH

Abstract

Aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge of oral and nutrition hygiene measures for dental caries, malocclusions, periodontal disease, outbreak prophylaxis and self-assessment of oral health and social impact as well as the role of the dentist. Material and methods. The study was conducted on 166 schoolchildren aged 7-18 years (mean age 14.51±3.312 years), from four public schools in Neamt County, north-eastern Romania, who responded independently to an oral health questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) for Windows, and descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square test were used. Results. The results fluctuated according to the correct answers to the questions. The overall score of the schoolchildren’ correct answers was 71.00%. Significant correlations between age and school of children and certain answers to questions were found (p<0.05). Conclusions. The study demonstrates that school cannot alone induce desirable health behaviours and requires the involvement of many specialists, family and communities by implementing effective education programs recommended by the World Health Organization.

Keywords

• health behaviour
• oral health status.
• oral health.
• school education
• schoolchildren