Saudi School Children's Oral Health and Hygiene Literacy and Behaviors
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Awareness, attitude, and routines greatly affect oral health. This survey examined Saudi schoolchildren's oral hygiene knowledge, attitude, and behavior in Al Qassim. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Al Qassim region, focusing on school children. The study utilized a pretested online questionnaire as the primary data collection tool. The initial segment of the questionnaire documented the participants' age and dental background, while also capturing their respective experiences. The subsequent section addressed the topics of dental hygiene and dental appointments. The third section of the study was the assessment of students' knowledge on oral hygiene. Results: The study revealed that 39% of the students possessed a satisfactory level of oral hygiene knowledge. However, it was observed that students who brushed their teeth regularly or twice a day exhibited a considerably greater level of oral hygiene knowledge (p<0.001). Approximately 56.8% of the student population indicated experiencing oral issues, whereas 20.7% disclosed never having sought dental care during their lifetime. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of dental visits seen among students aged 12 years and older last year (p=0.010). Conclusion: It is imperative for educational institutions in Saudi Arabia to initiate the integration of a comprehensive oral health education program that encompasses both students and their parents.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
I. Abraham A, Pullishery F, Raghavan R. Dental caries and calculus status in children studying in Government and Private Schools in Malappuram, Kerala, India IAIM 2016; 3(3):35-41.
II. Al-Darwish MS. Oral health knowledge, behaviour and practices among school children in Qatar. Dent Res J (Isfahan) 2016; 13:342-353. doi: 10.4103/1735-3327.187885
III. Al-Ghamdi A, Almarghlani A, Alyafi R, Ibraheem W, Assaggaf M, Howait M, Alsofi L, Banjar A, Al-Zahrani M, Kayal R. Prevalence of periodontitis in high school children in Saudi Arabia: A national study. Ann Saudi Med 2020; 40:7-14. doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2020.7
IV. Alhareky M, Nazir MA. Dental Visits and Predictors of Regular Attendance among Female School children in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Clin Cosmet Investig Dent 2021; 13:97-104. doi: 10.2147/CCIDE.S300108
V. Al-Omari MK, Al-Wahadni MA, Saeed KN. Oral health attitudes, knowledge and behaviour among school children in north Jordan. J Dent Edu 2006; 70:179–187.
VI. Alshammari FR, Alamri H, Aljohani M, Sabbah W, O'Malley L, Glenny AM. Dental caries in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2021; 16(5):643-656. doi: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2021.06.008
VII. Alshloul MN. Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among School Children in Abha Saudi Arabia. J Sch Nurs 2021; 10598405211012981. doi: 10.1177/10598405211012 981
VIII. Alumran A, Almulhim L, Almolhim B, Bakodah S, Aldossary H, Alrayes SA. Are dental care providers in Saudi Arabia prepared to treat patients with special needs? J Multi Health 2019; 12:281. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S201155
IX. Baghdadi ZD. Managing dental caries in children in Saudi Arabia. Int Dent J 2011; 61:101–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1875- 595X.2011.00021.x
X. Beyene DH, Shashamo BB, Digesa LE, Tariku EZ. Oral Hygiene Practices and Associated Factors among Patients Visiting Private Dental Clinics at Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia, 2018. Int J Dent 2021; 8868308. doi: 10.1155/2021/ 8868308
XI. Bramantoro T, Santoso CMA, Hariyani N, Setyowati D, Zulfiana AA, Nor NAM, Nagy A, Pratamawari DNP, Irmalia WR. Effectiveness of the school based oral health promotion programmes from preschool to high school: A systematic review. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256007. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256007
XII. Calcagnile F, Pietrunti D, Pranno N, Di Giorgio G, Ottolenghi L, Vozza I. Oral health knowledge in preschool children: A survey among parents in central Italy. J Clin Exp Dent 2019; 11(4):e327-e333. doi: 10.4317/jced.55378
XIII. Crocombe LA, Broadbent JM, Thomson WM, Brennan DS, Poulton R. Impact of dental visiting trajectory patterns on clinical oral health and oral health related quality of life. J Public Health Dent 2012; 72(1):36-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1752- 7325.2011.00281.x
XIV. Fantaye W, Nur A, Kifle G, Engida F. Oral health knowledge and oral hygiene practice among visually impaired subjects in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Oral Health 2022; 22(1):167. doi: 10.1186/s12903-022-02199-x
XV. Farsi NJ, Merdad Y, Mirdad M, Batweel O, Badri R, Alrefai H, Alshahrani S, Tayeb R, Farsi J. Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Among University Students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Clin Cosmet Investig Dent 2020; 12:515-523. doi: 10.2147/CCIDE.S272986
XVI. Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019). Seattle: Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 2020; Available from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
XVII. Hashem D, Abu Hammad OA, Farran J, Faran A, Odeh ND. Oral health practice of primary school children in the region of Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A cross sectional study. J Int Oral Health 2021; 13:449-55. doi: 10.4103/jioh.jioh_73_21
XVIII. Hunter PB. Risk factors in dental caries. Int Dent J 1988; 38:211-7. PMID: 3063664.
XIX. Kannan SP, Alfahaid SF, Alharbi AS, Almutairi BS, Alanazi AH, Alsaab FA, Alatallah SS, Aldhuwayhi SD. Oral Hygiene Behavior of School Children in Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross sectional Survey. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020; 13:66- 71. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1710
XX. Mistry KB, Minkovitz CS, Riley AW, Johnson SB, Grason HA, Dubay LC, Guyer B. A new frame work for childhood health promotion: The role of policies and programs in building capacity and foundations of early childhood health. Am J Public Health 2012; 102(9):1688-96. doi: 10.2105 /AJPH.2012.300687
XXI. Nguyen VTN, Zaitsu T, Oshiro A, Tran TT, Nguyen YHT, Kawaguchi Y, Aida J. Impact of School Based Oral Health Education on Vietnamese Adolescents: A 6-Month Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18(5):2715. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052715
XXII. Northridge ME, Kumar A, Kaur R. Disparities in Access to Oral Health Care. Annu Rev Public Health 2020; 41:513-535. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094318
XXIII. Nyvad B, Takahashi N. Integrated hypothesis of dental caries and periodontal diseases. J Oral Microbiol 2020; 12:1710953. doi: 10.1080/20002297.2019.1710953
XXIV. Petersen PE. The world oral health report continuous improvement of oral health in the 21st century the approach of the WHO Global Oral Health Programme. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2003; 31:3–24. doi: 10.1046/j..2003.com 122.x
XXV. Pullishery F, Abuzenada BM, Alrushnudi NM, Alsafri MM, Alkhaibari WM, Alharbi MF, Aladani JA, Mohammed Z. Comparison of Efficacy of Different Supervision Methods of Tooth brushing on Dental Plaque Scores in 7-9 year old Children. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021; 14:263-268. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1927
XXVI. Pullishery F, Shenoy Panchmal G, Shenoy R. Parental Attitudes and Tooth Brushing Habits in Preschool Children in Mangalore, Karnataka: A Cross sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013; 6:156-160. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005- 1210
XXVII. Rockville M. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services of Dental and Craniofacial of Health. National Institute of Health 2000.
XXVIII. Tadin A, Poljak Guberina R, Domazet J, Gavic L. Oral Hygiene Practices and Oral Health Knowledge among Students in Split, Croatia. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:406. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020406
XXIX. Vozza I, Capasso F, Calcagnile F, Anelli A, Corridore D, Ferrara C, Ottolenghi L. School age dental screening: Oral health and eating habits. Clin Ter 2019; 170:e36-e40. doi: 10.7417/CT.2019.2105 30. World Health Organisation WHO Information Series on School Health Oral Health Promotion: An Essential Element of a Health Promoting School. Geneva 2003; Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/70207/WHO_NMH_NPH_ORH_School_03.3_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isA llowed=y