Developing a Traditional Oral Health Education Folktale for Primary School Pupils in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Worldwide oral diseases are a major public health problem among children. Oral health education directed at major aetiological factors such as diet, oral hygiene and dental clinic attendance has helped to reduce the burden of oral diseases in children. Folklore, which includes folktales, puppet shows, dramas, folk music, and dance, appears to be a promising tool that could gain and engage young people's interest. Traditional folktale in school-based health education in Nigeria has not yet undergone much research or evaluation.
 AIM: This paper aims to report how a local traditional folktale for oral health education among primary school pupils was developed with a view to providing information on how the folktale can be developed in other languages as well as how other oral health education folktales can be developed.
 METHOD: Oral health professionals, linguist and theater arts experts from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, developed a traditional folktale represented on a graphically designed banner (comic strips) for use as an oral health education tool for primary school pupils. Developing the tool involved certain processes which were validated and evaluated at every step. These processes included developing oral health messages on adequate dietary and oral hygiene practices as well as good dental clinic attendance. The messages were used to develop a folktale using improvisation circle method.
 RESULTS: A banner of 6 feet by 4 feet containing graphically designed illustrations (comic strips) of the traditional folktale was developed. The message of which was basically diet, oral hygiene and dental clinic attendance instructions aimed at improving the attitude and practice of primary school pupils in Ibadan to oral health. The folktale was primarily developed in English language, the official language in Nigeria, then translated to Yoruba, the indigenous language of the people of Ibadan. Many skills such as team-building, effective communication and leadership were developed from the many phases and meetings required in the development of the folktale.
 CONCLUSIONS: The early years are the formative years. Hence developing a tool to improve the oral health education of children using traditional folktale is a valuable and culturally advantageous project which has substantial future potentials.