Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Department of Community Oral Health & Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2024 Jan;48(1):101-110. doi: 10.22514/jocpd.2023.096. Epub 2024 Jan 3.
The effectiveness of children's oral health education (OHE) is determined by the appropriateness of the educational materials used, which can influence their attitude towards oral health. However, there is a lack of studies exploring the benefits of OHE materials from the perspective of schoolchildren. This study aimed to explore schoolchildren's opinions on the newly developed ToothPoly board game as an OHE tool. A qualitative approach using focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted among 44 schoolchildren aged 12 years old from a public school in Malaysia. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit the schoolchildren. The ToothPoly board game was playtested and FGDs were conducted after the playtesting session ended. Data collection and analyses were performed concurrently until data saturation was reached. The data were transcribed and coded using Atlas.Ti software version 9.1.3 followed by the framework method analysis. Mixed opinions were observed among the schoolchildren with a majority expressing favourable opinions on the advantages of the ToothPoly board game as an OHE tool. Five themes emerged from the advantages aspect, , fun and enjoyable, promote focus, attention and oral health-related learning, attractive board game features, and enhance peer interaction. Meanwhile, two themes emerged that were related to the disadvantages of the board game, , "competition with online games and media" and "not practical for a large group activity". The findings showed that the ToothPoly board game was perceived as a useful, interactive, and enjoyable tool to learn about oral health in small groups. The findings of the study highlight the importance of tailoring OHE activities to fulfil the needs of specific target groups to ensure its acceptance and future success.
儿童口腔健康教育 (OHE) 的效果取决于所使用的教育材料的适宜性，这会影响他们对口腔健康的态度。然而，目前缺乏从学龄儿童角度探索 OHE 材料益处的研究。本研究旨在探讨学龄儿童对新开发的 ToothPoly 棋盘游戏作为 OHE 工具的看法。采用焦点小组讨论 (FGD) 的定性方法，对来自马来西亚一所公立学校的 44 名 12 岁的学龄儿童进行了研究。采用便利抽样法招募了这些学龄儿童。在玩完 ToothPoly 棋盘游戏后，对其进行了测试，并进行了 FGD。在达到数据饱和之前，同时进行数据收集和分析。使用 Atlas.Ti 软件版本 9.1.3 对数据进行转录和编码，然后进行框架方法分析。结果显示，大多数学龄儿童对 ToothPoly 棋盘游戏作为 OHE 工具的优势持赞成意见，但也存在一些混合意见。优势方面出现了五个主题：有趣和愉快、促进专注、注意力和口腔健康相关学习、有吸引力的棋盘游戏特点以及增强同伴互动。同时，还出现了两个与棋盘游戏缺点相关的主题：“与网络游戏和媒体的竞争”和“不适合大规模集体活动”。研究结果表明，ToothPoly 棋盘游戏被认为是一种有用的、互动的、有趣的学习口腔健康的工具，适用于小组活动。研究结果强调了根据特定目标群体的需求调整 OHE 活动的重要性，以确保其被接受并取得未来的成功。
