Tooth Brushing Activities and Related Factors among Primary Schools in Songkhla, Thailand
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Date
2010-08-31
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Journal of the Dental Association of Thailand
Abstract
The oral health surveillance program has been developed since 1988 to solve dental caries and oral disease problems. One important activity in this project was the after lunch tooth brushing activity. However, there were some children who did not regularly participate in this activity. This study was conducted to determine the brushing activity system and the related factors using a cross-sectional study. Ninety primary schools in Songkhla province of Thailand were sampled using a multistage sampling technique. Data about brushing activities were gathered by observation and teacher interview. Afterwards, teachers and administrators of four schools which had oral health activities systematically and continuously were in-depth interviewed. This study found that 97% of schools had the after lunch brushing activities. More than 90% of teachers had good attitude and were satisfied with these activities. To conduct a systematic brushing activity; short distance between brushing area and water source, brushing material storage in classrooms, signal for brushing preparation, being monitored by leaders or teachers, and control of brushing time were found to be statistically significantly related to the schools which high number of students participated in the activities (p \< .05). From the in-depth interview, the brushing activities could be effectively conducted because of strong school policies, high attention of the teachers continuously, and monitoring by health workers. This study concluded that there were tooth brushing activities in most of the schools. The systematic brushing activities affected on having a high number students participating in the activities. The relationship and cooperation between tudents, teachers, school administrations, parents, community, and related organizations were important factors required for the success of the oral health activities in schools.
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Citation
Journal of the Dental Association of Thailand; Vol.59 No.3 July-September 2009; 190-199