Abstract
BackgroundOral health is an important part of public health and crucial to health promotion and enhancing the quality of life. This research examined childhood oral self-care behavior and their related factors using extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 368 sixth-grade elementary school students in Saveh city, Iran, in 2019. The students were selected using a random multi-stage sampling method. The instrument included the socio-demographic questions, TPB constructs, and action and coping plan items. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (Version 21) at alpha level p ≤ 0.05.ResultOverall, 24 (6.6%) students have never used toothbrushes, 222 (62.7%) have never used dental floss, and 298 (82.7%) students have never used mouthwash. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis results indicated that the TPB with action and coping planning constructs had better predictive power than the original model. In the final model, coping planning (β = .28), intention (β = .24), action planning (β = .23), and perceived behavior control (β = .15) were the most important predictors of oral self-care behavior.ConclusionThe results indicated that the oral self-care behavior status in Iranian elementary students was not favorable, and the extended model of the TPB with action and coping plan constructs were significant predictors of self-care behavior. Therefore, these findings emphasize the need for expanding educational interventions based on the extended model of the TPB to improve the oral self-care behavior of students.
Highlights
Oral health is an important part of public health and crucial to health promotion and enhancing the quality of life
The results indicated that the oral self-care behavior status in Iranian elementary students was not favorable, and the extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with action and coping plan constructs were significant predictors of self-care behavior
These findings emphasize the need for expanding educational interventions based on the extended model of the TPB to improve the oral self-care behavior of students
Summary
Oral health is an important part of public health and crucial to health promotion and enhancing the quality of life. Oral health is an important part of public health, in that, it has a major impact on the quality of life, well-being and the overall health of children [1, 2]. A healthy mouth enables a person to eat, talk, communicate better, and socialize [3]. Oral diseases are considered a public health problem worldwide due to their high prevalence and major social impact [4]. Despite great achievements in the field of oral health worldwide, tooth decay is still a common oral disease in children in many societies, especially in less developed countries [7]. In the United States, 45% of children from ages 5 to 17
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