STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ORAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AND BRUSHING BEHAVIOR CHANGE

Hye Jin Kim*

ABSTRACT

This study is a part of the project supervised by the Education Office of D. District, B City. It conducted an oral health education activity with all the middle school students in the District, utilizing the experts in oral health education from March through June 30, 2018 and obtained the following conclusions as a result of analysis of questionnaires before and after the education. As a result of a comparison of the percentage of correct answers to the questionnaires of oral health knowledge before and after the education, overall, the subjects showed a high percentage of correct answers concerning the toothbrushing method, the problems of smoking, and the effect of fluorine on the prevention of dental caries before the education, but in the questionnaires asking the causes of oral diseases or foods that help clean teeth, they showed a relatively lower level of correct answers. However, they showed an improved rate of changes in all questions. To examine the rate of change in brushing behavior before and after oral health education for middle school students, the responses to the questionnaire asking “toothbrushing after lunch” increased by 15% after the education. Since the middle school years are a period with the high contraction of oral diseases, adding on to the elementary school years, oral health education is very necessary. Judging from the results of this study, it is necessary for students, parents, and schools to take more active home care with an interest in the oral management area, one of the areas of the students’ health management, and it is suggested that in in-school activities, it is very necessary to conduct repetitive education that can promote lunchtime toothbrushing activity and individual attention.

Keywords: Middle School Students, oral health knowledge, oral health behavior, toothbrushing.