| Summary: | 碩士 === 國防醫學院 === 牙醫學系 === 86 ===
Taiwan still has a high prevalence rate for caries. Although the school education system has included an oral headlth and prevention course, improvement through education is limited. The purpose of this study was to find out an easy way to promote oral health through health teachers in elementary school.
As indicated by parents, 257 students in nine classes of the fifth grade in an elementary school were included in this study. The students were divided clustering randomly into three groups. Initially, the students were (1) clinically examined with DMFS index and modified patient hygiene performance (PHP-M) index; (2) their oral hygiene knowledge, attitude, practice and family socioeconomic status evaluated by questionnaires A. Test groups I and II were placed in an oral health promotion program, which was conducted by the school health teacher for group I and a dentist for group II.
The mean DMFT/DMFS index results were 3.47/4.82. The mean PHP-M index initially was 34.52□6.31, and then developed an average of 30.08□7.04 after the oral health promotion program intervention. There was a statistically significant difference in oral hygiene knowledge, attitude, practice and PHP-M index incremental increase between pretest and posttest groups I and II. There was no significant difference for the control group.
No significant difference in the teaching results between the health teacher and dentist except the degree of knowledge. Although the health teacher was limited in dental knowledge as compared to the dentist, the teacher was very effective in improving students' dental hygiene knowledge. It is suggested that a school-based oral health promotion program is helpful for students' proper oral hygiene. Furthermore, the program was well accepted by students and teachers according to their answers on the questionnaires B & C.
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