Oral Health Knowledge and Behavior among Public Primary Schoolchildren in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the oral health knowledge and behavior among primary school pupils. Patients, Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, in which a systematic sampling method was used to enroll 450 subjects into the study. The data collection tool was a self-administered, structured, pretested questionnaire. Results: Of the 450 enrollees, 434 pupils who duly completed their questionnaires participated in the study. Their mean age was 11.7 ± 1.64 years and more than half (229, 52.8) of the pupils were of male gender. About half (52.3%) of the pupils had adequate level of oral health knowledge. Majority had never visited a dentist (75%) before and had never used dental floss (66.6%). A higher proportion (72.3%) of the pupils with adequate level of oral health knowledge received parental supervision during brushing, had visited the dentist, and had frequent dental visit. Conclusion: The study revealed that about half of the study population had adequate level of knowledge. It also revealed inadequate oral health behaviour among the pupils. Pupils who had adequate knowledge had better behaviour.