Oral health-related knowledge, attitude, and practice among school children from rural and urban areas of district Sheikhupura, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Good oral health is the major aspect of general health but the practitioners in the field of dental surgery have reported it is one of the most ignored part among general community. Good oral health practices started at earlier age lead to healthy gums and teeth later in life. In present research, the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health among school children were studied. Descriptive statistics and tests of significance [t-test and F-test] show that oral health Knowledge, Attitude and Practice [KAP] among study participants were poor and needed to be improved. Findings of the present study also showed that utilization of dental service was mainly for pain relief. Significant gender differences were found where girls had scored higher in all the three aspects of KAP. Parent education and income level of the family were also found significant factors. Children from high socioeconomic status had scored higher in all the three dimensions of KAP scores. Similarly, children of educated parents had higher scores. But it is important to note that generally the level of score in KAP was less than 50%, which is not a good indication. Comprehensive oral health educational programs for both children and their parents, especially for less educated and lower socioeconomic group families, are required to improve the prevention and control of oral diseases