Oral health knowledge, attitudes and behavior of elementary school teachers in India

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the oral hygiene attitudes and behavior of elementary school teachers, and determined the influence of variables like language used in class and gender on oral health knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Methods: A stratified random sampling was done to collect a representative sample of teachers fromthe Udaipur district. The total sample encompassed 126 teachers who teach in Hindi, India's official language along with English, and 104 teachers who teach in English. Of the 230 filled out questionnaires, 12 (5.2%) were rejected either because the answers were inconsistent, such as two replies to the same question, or because the answer was blank. Results: Teachers who taught in English were more likely to brush their teeth twice daily(77.6%) than those who taught in Hindi (63.3%). All teachers who taught in English used tooth paste while only 71.7% of those who taught in Hindi did. Most females (53.1%) used a soft brush to brush their teeth and were more likely (84.4%) to brush twice daily than males. The brushing frequency differed significantly between genders. All female teachers stated that regular tooth brushing prevents tooth decay. Conclusion Most school teachers presented acceptable knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Teachers should be made aware of their responsibility as role models, and school staff should be given incentives to encourage their participation.