Open AccessPerception towards preventive strategies for dental caries and oral health promotion among school teachers
Author(s) -
Sathya Kumaresan,
Arthi Balasubramaniam,
I. Meignana Arumugham,
Pradeep Kumar Rathinavelu
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of health sciences (ijhs) (en línea)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2550-6978
pISSN - 2550-696X
DOI - 10.53730/ijhs.v6ns1.5295
Subject(s) - focus group , medicine , government (linguistics) , dentistry , perception , family medicine , private school , promotion (chess) , medical education , psychology , mathematics education , linguistics , philosophy , marketing , neuroscience , politics , political science , law , business
Background and Aim: There are numerous preventive strategies available globally for dental caries. However, the incidence of dental caries is high among school going children in most of the developing countries. School teachers play a major role in inculcating good habits and behaviour to the children. Thus, we aimed to assess the perception of dental caries among school teachers qualitatively by focus group discussion. Methods: One focus group discussion was conducted among the primary level government and private school teachers in Tamil Nadu. A group of 12 teachers, 6 from Government schools and 6 from Private schools were recruited. The discussion was held in a virtual platform due to COVID-19 Lockdown. The session lasted for 45-60 min. The areas of discussion included attitude towards aetiology, prevention and treatment for dental caries.
Results: Analysis of interview transcripts recognized many influences on children’s oral health attitudes. Majority of teachers expressed a high efficacy using toothbrushes, tongue cleaners, mouthwashes, oil pulling and massaging gums as plaque control mechanisms. Most of the participants were aware of all treatment modalities for dental caries. However, they were not totally aware of the preventive strategies of dental caries. Conclusion: