Article information
Year 2010 Volume 60 Issue 1 Page 22-31
Title:
Oral Health Promotion Program in the Border Patrol Police Schools in Songkhla Province Oral Health Promotion Program in the Border Patrol Police Schools in Songkhla Province
Keyword(s):
attitude, dental knowledge, oral health promotion, plaque score
Abstract:
The aims of the present study were to compare the dental knowledge, attitude and plaque score of students in Border Patrol Police Schools via a community participation of teachers, students and other networks. This study was a participatory action research using a quasi-experimental technique. Three schools were purposive sampled. Thungsabaijai and Baroey Border Patrol Police school students were identified as the experiment group, while students in Sangwanwit primary school were in the control group. Sixty students, stratified by class grade 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6, were randomly selected from those schools. Each school conducted different activities of community participation of teachers, students and other networks for three years. The results showed that students, grades 1-2 in the experimental group had significantly greater knowledge than the control group. Students in grades 1-2, 3-4 had in the experiment group significantly better attitude than the control group. Moreover, students in the experimental group had statistically significantly lesser mean plaque score than the control group (p < .05). In conclusion, oral health promotion and prevention of oral diseases in the Border Patrol Police schools via a community participation of teachers, students and other networks were successful in changing the behavior of students. The important factors for behavioral change were the participation of school administrators, health teachers and school teachers. In addition, parents should be encouraged to continuously participate in the oral health activities in their children’s schools.