Dangi Shweta, Chhabra Kumar G, Naganandini S, Chaudhary Pankaj, Singh Avishek, Srivastava Harshit
Department of Public Health Dentistry, NIMS Dental College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Adjunct Faculty, Research and Development Cell, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
J Educ Health Promot. 2025 Apr 30;14:165. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_921_24. eCollection 2025.
Schools serve as crucial settings for promoting children's health, including oral health, yet the integration of oral health initiatives within the vast Indian education system remains underutilized, presenting an opportunity for improvement. This qualitative study aimed to explore schoolteachers' perspectives on oral health promotion, maintenance, and the potential integration of oral health services within school environments.
Nine government and central schools in Haryana and New Delhi were selected for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 teachers engaged in educating students aged 10 to 17 years. Convenience sampling was utilized to select teachers with varying teaching experience. Each interview was conducted with the help of interview guide. Thematic analysis was utilized to identify recurring themes and patterns within the qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews.
Teachers demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of oral health, emphasizing its significance in nutrition, confidence-building, aesthetics, and preventive care. Varied frequencies of dental visits were reported, with parental negligence identified as a significant barrier to oral healthcare services in schools. Suggestions to overcome barriers included engaging children, parents, and teachers, providing skill-based health education, improving health-promoting policies, and enhancing access to health services.
The study underscores the importance of integrating oral health education and services into school curricula to promote holistic well-being among students. Addressing barriers such as parental negligence and lack of awareness among teachers is crucial for enhancing oral health initiatives in schools.
学校是促进儿童健康（包括口腔健康）的关键场所，然而在庞大的印度教育体系中，口腔健康倡议的整合仍未得到充分利用，存在改进的空间。这项定性研究旨在探讨学校教师对口腔健康促进、维护以及在学校环境中潜在整合口腔健康服务的看法。
选取了哈里亚纳邦和新德里的9所政府学校和中心学校进行研究。对16名从事10至17岁学生教育工作的教师进行了半结构化访谈。采用便利抽样法选取了具有不同教学经验的教师。每次访谈都借助访谈指南进行。采用主题分析法从半结构化访谈获得的定性数据中识别反复出现的主题和模式。
教师们对口腔健康有全面的理解，强调其在营养、增强自信、美观和预防保健方面的重要性。报告了不同的看牙频率，家长的疏忽被认为是学校口腔保健服务的一个重大障碍。克服障碍的建议包括让儿童、家长和教师参与，提供基于技能的健康教育，改进促进健康的政策，以及增加获得健康服务的机会。
该研究强调了将口腔健康教育和服务纳入学校课程以促进学生整体健康的重要性。解决家长疏忽和教师缺乏意识等障碍对于加强学校的口腔健康倡议至关重要。
