Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: School teachers need to have a better understanding of oral health aspects as schools serve as an effective environment for learning. Educators hold a significant position in conveying the importance they attribute to oral health in their lives. According to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Dentistry Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/1/30 |
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| author | Sanjeev. B. Khanagar Rayan Albar Abdullah Alghamdi Sultan Alshamrani Yousif Alhussain |
| author_facet | Sanjeev. B. Khanagar Rayan Albar Abdullah Alghamdi Sultan Alshamrani Yousif Alhussain |
| author_sort | Sanjeev. B. Khanagar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background/Objectives</b>: School teachers need to have a better understanding of oral health aspects as schools serve as an effective environment for learning. Educators hold a significant position in conveying the importance they attribute to oral health in their lives. According to the World Health Organization, school teachers should include oral health promotion activities to evaluate students’ oral health, track injuries, illnesses, and absenteeism related to oral health, advocate oral health prevention, and serve as role models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the conceptual understanding of oral health among primary school teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. <b>Methods</b>: Data for this study were collected from 404 primary school teachers using a structured and pre-validated comprehensive measure of oral health knowledge (CMOHK) questionnaire. <b>Results</b>: The distribution of CMOHK scores indicated that 247 (61.2%) participants demonstrated good conceptual knowledge, 95 (23.5%) participants exhibited fair knowledge, and 62 (15.3%) participants were classified as having poor knowledge. The male group exhibited lower values for the CMOHK score in comparison with the female group; however, these findings were not statistically significant. The findings indicated that the group of government school teachers exhibited higher values for the dependent variable CMOHK score compared to their private school counterparts. <b>Conclusions</b>: The average CMOHK score observed in this study is regarded as fair. It is crucial for school teachers to possess strong oral health knowledge, as they significantly influence the oral health knowledge and behaviors of children. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4f42d7829b44c438fb1531d332a79a2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-6767 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Dentistry Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4f42d7829b44c438fb1531d332a79a22025-01-24T13:28:41ZengMDPI AGDentistry Journal2304-67672025-01-011313010.3390/dj13010030Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional SurveySanjeev. B. Khanagar0Rayan Albar1Abdullah Alghamdi2Sultan Alshamrani3Yousif Alhussain4Preventive Dental Science Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia<b>Background/Objectives</b>: School teachers need to have a better understanding of oral health aspects as schools serve as an effective environment for learning. Educators hold a significant position in conveying the importance they attribute to oral health in their lives. According to the World Health Organization, school teachers should include oral health promotion activities to evaluate students’ oral health, track injuries, illnesses, and absenteeism related to oral health, advocate oral health prevention, and serve as role models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the conceptual understanding of oral health among primary school teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. <b>Methods</b>: Data for this study were collected from 404 primary school teachers using a structured and pre-validated comprehensive measure of oral health knowledge (CMOHK) questionnaire. <b>Results</b>: The distribution of CMOHK scores indicated that 247 (61.2%) participants demonstrated good conceptual knowledge, 95 (23.5%) participants exhibited fair knowledge, and 62 (15.3%) participants were classified as having poor knowledge. The male group exhibited lower values for the CMOHK score in comparison with the female group; however, these findings were not statistically significant. The findings indicated that the group of government school teachers exhibited higher values for the dependent variable CMOHK score compared to their private school counterparts. <b>Conclusions</b>: The average CMOHK score observed in this study is regarded as fair. It is crucial for school teachers to possess strong oral health knowledge, as they significantly influence the oral health knowledge and behaviors of children.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/1/30oral health knowledgeoral health literacyknowledgeconceptualunderstandingschool teachers |
| spellingShingle | Sanjeev. B. Khanagar Rayan Albar Abdullah Alghamdi Sultan Alshamrani Yousif Alhussain Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey Dentistry Journal oral health knowledge oral health literacy knowledge conceptual understanding school teachers |
| title | Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | conceptual knowledge of oral health among primary school teachers in riyadh saudi arabia a cross sectional survey |
| topic | oral health knowledge oral health literacy knowledge conceptual understanding school teachers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/1/30 |
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