Oral health education and caries prevention in schools teachers opinion

Objectives: To investigate the functioning of school oral health education and related barriers in the opinion of schoolteachers. Methods: The study covered teachers of 12-year-olds whose classes had taken part in the 2003 nation wide monitoring of oral health. 121 teachers from 128 schools completed a self administered questionnaire survey (response rate 94,5%). Results: Similar proportions of teachers suggested that within the last 5 years, oral health of their pupils improved (22,3%) and had worsened (29,8%). Over 92% at least partly agreed that oral health of poorer pupils had worsened. 36,4 % reported that pupils had been examined by a dentist and the necessary treatment arranged; 17,4% reported this to be provided in a school dental office, and 54,5% said that pupils had special hours reserved at health centres. 53,7 % reported children being covered by school fluoride prophylaxis. 86,8% reported implementation of oral health education in schools; in 80,2% cases special programmes of school-based oral health promotion were provided. Only 18,2% reported that there had been profitable cooperation of teachers and school directors with the national health fund and other institution involved in health care and/or education. Nearly half (45,4%) reported problems in cooperation with these institutions. Among the barriers limiting school–based caries prevention, teachers mentioned their own insufficient preparation and conditions in schools (92,5% agreed at least partly with this statement) and insufficient motivation (71,1%). Conclusions: Teachers seem wellable to recognize barriers to school oral health education. The most important of these include perceived insufficient preparation of teachers and problems in co-operation with other institutions involved in health care.