Volume 26, Issue 129, November 2022

Oral health and oral hygiene related literacy and behaviors among Saudi school children in Al-Qassim region

Vivek Prabhu¹, Malik Abdulaziz Alayed², Sumona Bhattacharjee¹, Abdulaziz Sulaiman Alnasyan², Mohammed M Alzaben², Omar Fahad Altowaijri², Fawaz Pullishery^3♦

¹Division of Periodontics, Preventive Dental Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, Mustaqbal University, Ash Shafaq, Western Ring Road, Al-Hamr Exit, Buraydah – 52547, Saudi Arabia
²General Dentist, Ministry of Health , Ash Shafaq, Western Ring Road, Al-Hamr Exit, Buraydah – 52547, Saudi Arabia
³Division of Community Dental Practice, Dentitsry Program, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah-21442, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Division of Community Dental Practice, Dentitsry Program, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah-21442, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Individual characteristics such as awareness, perspective, and routines significantly influence one's oral health. This survey explored the Saudi school children's knowledge, attitude and behaviors related to oral hygiene in the Al Qassim province. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study using a pretested online questionnaire was conducted among school children in the Al Qassim region. The first section of the questionnaire recorded students' age and dental history, and experiences were recorded. The second part covered dental hygiene and dental visits. In the third part, students' oral hygiene knowledge was tested. Results: Oral hygiene knowledge was found to be good in 39% of the students, whereas it was found to be significantly higher in those students who brushed frequently or twice a day (p<0.001). About 56.8% of the students reported having some dental problems, and 20.7% mentioned they had never been to the dentist in their lives. Students over the age of 12 years had a significantly higher frequency of dental visits last year (p=0.010). Conclusion: Schools in Saudi Arabia need to begin implementing a comprehensive oral health education program that targets not only the students but also their parents.

Keywords: Preventive dentistry, dental caries, oral health education, tooth brushing

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms445e2485

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i129/ms445e2485

Published: 05 November 2022