Oral health promoting activities in schools of three different boards in Pune city - A descriptive study

Abstract

Aim: The objective was to evaluate and compare the oral health-promoting activities (WHO 5 key points) undertaken in the schools of Pune city belonging to the different boards. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2018 to August 2018 among the different board schools in Pune. A total of 50 schools based on quota sampling were selected as follows: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) (n = 17): Indian Certificate of Secondary Examination (ICSE) (n = 5): International Board (n = 1): Cambridge Assessment International Education (n = 1): State Board (n = 26). English medium schools representing the respective board and those willing to give consent for interviews were included in the study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the required number of schools for data collection. A 5-item checklist was prepared for collecting the information through an interview with the school principals. Approval was obtained from the Scientific and Institutional Ethics committee before starting. Results: Of 50 schools, data were collected from only 44 schools. Among the CBSE schools, 64.7% (n = 11) reported of having oral health policy for the school children, followed by 42.3% (n = 11) of State Board schools. About 100% (n = 17) CBSE and ICSE (n = 1) and 53.84% of State Board schools (n = 15), respectively, were providing the supportive environment to enhance the good oral health. There was no statistically significant difference between CBSE and other boards with regard to school oral health policy (P = 0.19), developing good oral habits (P = 0.52), encouraging children to pass the oral health message to family and community (P = 0.49), and the presence of oral health-care provision (P = 0.19). Conclusion: The school authorities are aware of the dental health problems faced by the children. Some schools are conducting health education programs to educate children about the maintenance of oral hygiene through the involvement of dental colleges and the dentists from the surrounding area. However, they need to emphasize on oral health-promoting concept to incorporate healthy habits to prevent dental diseases at earliest.