Views of parents and head teachers on the school dental screening service in a north of England city.

OBJECTIVE

The study was designed to explore parents' and head teachers' understanding of and attitudes to the process, objectives and perceived outcomes of a school dental screening.

BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN

Qualitative methods were used as a source for questionnaire development and questionnaires were subsequently used to test the strength of agreement with the qualitative findings.

PARTICIPANTS

Head teachers and parents of a sample of 5- and 10-year-old children attending primary schools in Sunderland.

RESULTS

Questionnaire responses from 83 (79%) of the head teachers and 934 (82%) parents of 5- and 10-year-old children showed that the exercise was well accepted by the majority. Gaps were identified in many aspects of communication between the Community Dental Service, schools and parents.

CONCLUSIONS

It is recommended that, taking into account the views of all involved, the objectives of the exercise should be clearly defined and then clearly communicated. Evaluation should follow, measuring the extent to which the defined objectives are met. In this way the process will make a more positive and relevant contribution to oral health and the provision of primary dental care.