KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF ORAL HEALTH AMONG PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

This study was embarked on to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practices of oral health among public senior secondary school students in Oredo Local Government of Edo state. In order to carry out the task, six research questions were raised and three hypotheses formulated and tested at alpha level of 0.05. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was ten thousand, seven hundred seventeen (10,717) students from thirteen public secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The sample size of the study was 177 respondents from 7 schools. This was drawn by systematic sampling technique, stratified sampling technique and random sampling technique of balloting with replacement. A self-structured questionnaires was used for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts and test-retested liability was done on the instrument. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s r and t-testing at alpha level of 0.05. The following were the findings in the study amongst others: the students brush their teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste, using the correct technique of teeth brushing, changing their toothbrush every three months, visiting the dentist at least twice in a year for dental checkup. It was seen that good knowledge of oral health creates room for the development of positive attitude towards good oral health practices. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends the development and incorporation of oral health promotion programs into the school curriculum. These programs would further help the students to adhere to the best oral health practices which ultimately leads to a glorious positive oral health for all of them.