Mohamed Amal H, Ali Howayda Mohammed, Berdida Daniel Joseph E, Agunod Cyrelle D, Santos Adelina M
Nursing Department, North Private College of Nursing, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.
Public Health Nurs. 2025 Jan-Feb;42(1):383-394. doi: 10.1111/phn.13483. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
Good oral hygiene is essential for schoolchildren's well-being. However, lack of knowledge, negative attitudes, and poor oral hygiene practices may predispose to oral-related diseases. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led oral hygiene program on schoolchildren's knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
A quasi-experimental design with pre-and-post-test was used.
Using the convenience sampling technique, we recruited 400 schoolchildren, aged 11-12 and in grades 5-6, from two primary schools in Egypt.
The study was conducted from September 2022 to May 2023. The Oral Hygiene Program served as the primary intervention. This program contains health education topics (e.g., the importance of oral hygiene, techniques for effective tooth brushing, and dietary choices that promote dental health). Three visits were conducted (Visit 1: introduction of the program purpose and objectives and pre-test scores collection, Visit 2: implementation of oral hygiene topics, and Visit 3: post-test scores collection). We used three self-report instruments (Oral Health Knowledge Questionnaire, Hiroshima University's Dental Behavioral Inventory, and Oral Health Practice Questionnaire) for pre- and post-test. Paired T test and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis.
After the intervention program, the oral hygiene program effectively enhanced schoolchildren's knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The post-intervention mean scores were 7.83 ± 0.488 (knowledge), 6.63 ± 1.7 (practices), and 9.33 ± 1.1 (attitudes). High statistically significant differences were noted between schoolchildren's oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices before and after implementing the program (p = 0.000).
There were enhancements in the level of knowledge, with improved positive attitudes and satisfactory practices among schoolchildren after the implementation of the oral hygiene program. Integrating oral hygiene programs into the general curriculum in primary schools and training school nurses, caregivers, and teachers in implementing oral hygiene programs could improve oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices for preventing oral problems.
良好的口腔卫生对学童的健康至关重要。然而，知识缺乏、态度消极和口腔卫生习惯不良可能会引发口腔相关疾病。本研究旨在检验由护士主导的口腔卫生项目对学童知识、态度和行为的有效性。
采用前后测的准实验设计。
运用便利抽样技术，我们从埃及的两所小学招募了400名11 - 12岁、五至六年级的学童。
研究于2022年9月至2023年5月进行。口腔卫生项目作为主要干预措施。该项目包含健康教育主题（如口腔卫生的重要性、有效刷牙技巧以及促进牙齿健康的饮食选择）。进行了三次访问（访问1：介绍项目目的和目标并收集前测分数，访问2：实施口腔卫生主题教育，访问3：收集后测分数）。我们使用三种自我报告工具（口腔健康知识问卷、广岛大学牙科行为量表和口腔健康行为问卷）进行前后测。采用配对t检验和Pearson相关分析进行数据分析。
干预项目实施后，口腔卫生项目有效提高了学童的知识、态度和行为。干预后的平均分数分别为知识7.83±0.488、行为6.63±1.7、态度9.33±1.1。实施项目前后学童的口腔健康知识、态度和行为存在高度统计学显著差异（p = 0.000）。
实施口腔卫生项目后，学童的知识水平有所提高，积极态度得到改善，行为令人满意。将口腔卫生项目纳入小学常规课程，并培训学校护士、护理人员和教师实施口腔卫生项目，可提高预防口腔问题的口腔健康知识、态度和行为。
