Perceção, conhecimento e atitudes dos professores no âmbito da higiene oral e traumatologia dentária

Abstract

Introduction: Teachers have an important role as oral health educators and can contribute to the adoption of healthy habits and hygiene practices, preventing oral diseases. However, most of them do not have any training in the area, and this inadequate knowledge, skill and motivation to provide oral health education has resulted in negative repercussions on pupils oral health. Traumatic dental injuries due to falls and accidents are very common among children, as they are often involved in close contact and physical activities. These accidents happen mainly at home or at school. Therefore, teachers’ awareness in managing these situations and acting upon them appropriately is crucial for a good prognosis and long-term treatment success. Objectives: Characterize the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of teachers concerning children’s oral health, oral hygiene and dental trauma and evaluate the influence of sociodemographic and preventive variables. Material and Methods: This descriptive, observational, cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out with 475 pre-school and school teachers in Viseu, using a self-administered questionnaire, in order to characterize the sociodemographic variables, variables related to preventive oral health and attitudes towards dental trauma. Results: The results show that in the survey, only 6.7% of the respondents had prior oral health education. Overall, the teachers’ knowledge regarding children’s oral health and the management of traumatic dental injuries was deficient. Although there was a positive attitude towards including oral health in the teaching curriculum, they reported difficulties in teaching oral health content and implementing healthy behaviours due to lack of material, personnel, appropriate activities and space to teach the subject properly. Conclusion: Educational programs should be implemented to improve teachers’ knowledge regarding children’s oral health, so that they can take an active role in school-based dental education, help parents, and positively influence children’s behaviours. In addition, teachers should be trained to react appropriately when facing a traumatic dental injury, as they are the first line of advice and can make a difference in the prognosis.

Date of Award	19 Jul 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Andreia Sofia de Paiva Figueiredo (Supervisor) & Mariana Seabra (Co-Supervisor)