Contents And Methods Of Oral Health Education Courses In Primary School In China

In nowadays, the oral diseases have become one category of diseases, whichseriously affect people·s life and work. However, many of the oral diseases, such as cariesand gum disease, can be prevented. And the oral health education is regarded as the mostimportant, cheap and effective way among the series of the preventions, which can helppeople acquire the knowledge and awareness of oral health, form good oral healthbehavior, and keep healthy oral condition for lifelong. Pupil is wildly considered as the key target groups of the health education, and the special oral health education also canhelp them form good oral health sustaining all their life. In developed countries, the oralhealth education is very important in primary school, and the combination of thegovernment, dental institutions, schools, and hospital implement the examination andeducation of primary oral health. In China, the oral health education for elementary schoolstudents only limited to the epidemiological investigation of the status and behavior,lacking of policies, regulation system, corresponding teaching outline, teaching contentand relatively clear teaching methods. More and more people have relized the importanceof pupil oral health education, and promoted the oral health education in primary school.Objectives:This study aims to: evaluate the oral health stations of primary school students andoral health knowledge and practice of the students and their parents; use the method oftypical investigation to choose Chi-ping Experimental Primary School as the respondent;analyze the factors associated with caries of the primary school students; draw up thecontents of the oral health education of the primary school students; assess teachingmethods of the oral health education of the primary school students.Methods:This study involved1226primary school students of1-to6grade in Chi-pingExperimental Primary School and their parents. The caries experience of the children wasrecorded using Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index based on the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) criteria. The oral health education and oral health behaviorsof the children and their parents were investigated individually through two kinds ofquestionnaires.Results:1226children and their parents were included in this study, in which1126wereeffective questionnaires. The response rate was91.86%. The prevalence of dental caries of primary tooth was46.80%, DMFT was1.46(SD=±2.111), the number of Decayed,Missing and Filled Teeth was1643, in which only67teeth were filled, the rate of filledwas4.08%. The prevalence of dental caries of permanent teeth was12.61%, DMFT was0.21(SD=±0.630), the number of Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth was236, in whichonly7teeth were filled, the rate of filled was2.97%.44.1%of the children brushed theirteeth twice one day,74.4%of the children bleed when their teeth were brushed,38.9%ofthe children can last for3minutes when they were brushing,48.1%of the childrenreplaced their toothbrush ever2-3months,45.1%of the children gargled their mouthsafter eating,30.1%of the children knew that fluoridated toothpaste could prevent caries,56.6%of them knew Teeth-care Day,21.4%of them knew which is the sixth-yearmalarμ,76.0%of them hold that caries of the primary teeth should been treated as soonaspossible.69.5%of the parents disapproved that caries of the primary teeth neednot to cure.Only9.0%of them approved of pit and fissure sealant.12.9%of the parents consentedthat fluoridated toothpaste could prevent caries.62.8%of the parents bleed when theirteeth were brushed.48.6%of them believed that she/he needed dental care.10.7%of theparents exam their mouths regularly.75.6%of the parents disapproved of their childrenchewing gum. The children·s dental caries were significantly associated with the schoolinglevel and the evaluation of themselves oral health of the parents, and the toothache and theattention of the primary teeth of the children.According to the above experiments, we summarized the oral health problems of theprimary students during their different growth stages and ages, and distributed the oralhealth education content into three levels, each of which had one class every semester. Allthe different levels linked up and formed the stepwise content to complete the syllabus ofthe oral health education of the primary school, which included of caries, six-year teeth,the combination and physiological function of the teeth, toothbrush and toothpaste, gettingrid of bad oral habits earlier, teeth trauma, food and dental health, the function of saliva,youth gingivitis, plaque and tartar, the relationship between oral diseases and overallhealth and the history of dentistry.The oral health knowledge and oral health behaviors among the three groups have zero difference before classes, they have homogeneity (p>0.05). So are they after classes(p>0.05). However, all of the students· oral health knowledge had significant differencesafter classes. It implied that all of the oral health education could improve the primaryschool students·· oral health knowledge; however, there was no difference among differentteaching methods.Conclusions:Primary school students have poor oral health stations, and their oral healthknowledge and behaviors are not enough. We should improve their oral health levelsthrough multitudinal education. According to the studies brushing teeth effectively,choosing toothpastes with fluoride, examing our mouth regularly, the knowledge of theimportance of the first permanent molar and pit and fissure sealant, and curing caries intime were the key contents in oral health education courses. Government, hospitals,primary schools, teachers, students and their parents should have relevant developmenttactics of oral health education.