Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oral health issues are recorded to be growing among children due to either insufficient knowledge or ineffective oral health care. The study investigated the effectiveness of the school oral health (OH) program for changing dental health and health behavior among the students in Saudi Arabia. 
 
 METHODS: This cross-sectional design study followed STROBE (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) guidelines to include 348 female primary children in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. These were equally divided into three groups; i.e., teacher delivered oral health program, dentist delivered oral health program, and lastly control group. Data was collected through a close-ended questionnaire, and were analyzed through descriptive statistics and ANOVA. 
 
 RESULTS: Findings of the study showed improved OH status, better OH knowledge, behavior and practices among children. Self-evaluation results showed that the teachers conducted education program was more effective, then the dentists conducted education program. Also, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) score was found high for the psychological aspect of the children. 
 
 CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of the school oral health program for changing dental health and health behavior among the students was better.
Highlights
Oral diseases are recognized as a major health problem globally
Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) score was found high for the psychological aspect of the children
Thereby, the present study aims to examine whether the school oral health programs are effective in changing dental health and health behavior of female children in Madinah, Saudi Arabia
Summary
Oral diseases are recognized as a major health problem globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented that about 90 percent of the school-children are affected by dental caries (Adair, Burnside, & Pine, 2013; Nguyen, et al, 2016; WHO, 2020). Zhang et al (2015) and Nguyen et al (2016) reports that in East Asia, caries prevalence for the school children concerning their DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index score was higher from 2005 to 2015, in contrast to other regions (Nguyen et al, 2016; Zhang et al, 2015). The negative consequence as reported in previous studies includes difficulty in eating, dental pain, inadequate sleep, poor appearance, low concentration as well as absence from the school (BaniHani et al, 2018; CDC, 2020; WHO, 2020). These children might be vulnerable to social rejection, where they are teased and excluded socially due to various defects, including visible defects, bad odors, or impeded articulation (Craig, Baker, & Rodd, 2015). The study investigated the effectiveness of the school oral health (OH) program for changing dental health and health behavior among the students in Saudi Arabia
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