Abstract:

Objective: The aim was evaluating oral health related knowledge of a group of senior Child Development students. Materials and Methods: Data of this pilot study were gathered via a structured self-administered questionnaire in 2019, from 76 students with the intention of developing a future cross-sectional study, that would cover all senior students of Child Development Departments in Turkey. Ethical approval and verbal informed consent from students were obtained. Results: The mean age was 22.9±1.8 years; 73 were female. Only 2.3% could define what dental plaque was. Most of them (71.9%) knew the eruption time of first primary tooth but only 16 (21.1%) knew the correct number of primary teeth. Fifty (65.8%) agreed that ‘dental caries of primary teeth is an important issue for the child’. Only 47 (61.8%) stated that children under two years of age could have dental caries. The appropriateness of toothpaste use between 0-2 years of age was understood by 26.3%. Although 68.4% reported they were aware of fluoride, only 5 fully understood the role of fluoride in the prevention of dental caries. Three-fourth reported incorrectly that children between 2 and 6 years should brush their teeth by themselves. Only 2 (2.6%) stated that they had previous education regarding oral health; 11.8% thought their oral health knowledge level was sufficient. However, 97.4% requested more education. Conclusions: The oral health knowledge of the senior Child Development students was not adequate. The present curriculum should be reviewed and lectures on this topic given.

Keywords: