ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE OF SCHOOL TEACHERS OF KAPADWANJ TALUKA TOWARDS ORAL HEALTH- A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY

Objective:Schools and teachers are the vital source of guidance pertaining oral health in students. Oral health education given in early life has lifelong effect on person. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitude of primary and middle school teachersconcerning oral health of Kapadwanj Taluka.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted ongovernment schoolteachers ofKapadwanj taluka, Gujarat. Data of responses to 11 close ended, self-structured questionnaire assessing knowledge, awareness and attitude towards oral health was collected and entered in computer software. The frequency and percentage of data for all three sections were evaluated.

Results: Total 148 primary and middle school teachers were enrolled in study without gender preference.98.6% teachers had good awareness,63.5% of them were with average knowledge while only 46.6% had favorable attitude.Distribution in gender showed almost equal knowledge and awareness in male and female teachers with comparatively more favorable attitude in male teachers. Among primary and middle school teachers, primary teachers showed better knowledge and awareness.

Conclusion:Most of the teachers showed satisfactory knowledge in some aspects of oral health, although improvements can be implemented by regular teacher training, such as oral health seminars and material activities. These fundamental measures empower and supports teachers to effectively convey oral health education to students and scociety.