Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Public School Children

Objectives: To assess oral health knowledge, attitude, practices of children studying in public school of Karachi city. Methods: A pre- designed semi structured questionnaire based on oral health knowledge, attitude and practice was administered to a selected number of 459 schoolchildren age 6 - 15 years studying in a public sector school of Karachi. Results: Out of the total 459 questionnaires that were distributed, 92% response rate was achieved, out of which approximately 58% were male and 42% were female. Over all, there were positive responses regarding oral health knowledge by the students such as about dental caries (89%), benefits of fluoride in toothpaste (67%), benefits of visiting dentist (78%) and about dental care (87.4%). However, their self-reported practices related to brushing teeth twice daily (41%) was found low, whereas, not a single dental visit since birth was made by more than half of these children (52%). Conclusion: This study shows that knowledge of public schoolchildren is positive about oral health but most of affirmative practices related to oral health were not found satisfactory. It is suggested that children should be encouraged for their good oral health practices by their school teachers or their caretakers.