Special education teachers' involvement and perceived barriers to delivering oral health education for students with disabilities-A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Dental caries is prevalent among children, including those with disabilities. Although the World Health Organization recommends school-based oral health promotion (OHP) programmes involving teachers, limited research has explored teachers' roles and perspectives. To assess special education teachers' involvement and difficulties regarding oral health education (OHE), attitudes towards OHP and barriers to oral healthcare access for students with disabilities (SWDs). This descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, involved 264 special education teachers using a validated, self-administered questionnaire, and descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analysis. Only 39% of teachers incorporated OHE into their teaching, and just 20.8% received training for OHE delivery. Teachers showed strong support for integrating OHE into the curriculum (84.1%) and a no-sugar policy (78%). There was, however, less support for school-based toothbrushing (39%). OHE barriers included insufficient resources (56.1%), limited knowledge (29.2%) and misconceptions about primary teeth removal (47.4%). The three most common barriers to oral healthcare access were extended waiting lists (75.0%), long waiting times (73.1%) and fear of dental equipment (67.4%). This study highlights the need for collaboration between healthcare professionals, educators and parents to enhance OHE and reinforce OHP for SWDs within special education and beyond.