Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding oral hygiene among primary school children in Kalaki Town Council, Kalaki District Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Oral health issues, particularly dental caries and periodontitis, are a significant public health concern. Poor oral hygiene can lead to these conditions, resulting in tooth loss, disability, and compromised oral health. In Kalaki Town Council, Kalaki District-Eastern Uganda, there is inadequate information on oral health knowledge, attitudes, and oral hygiene practices among primary school children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and oral health practices among children in Kalaki District-Eastern, Uganda. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in February and March 2024 among 380 children from three Primary schools in Kalaki District. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the children, using a structured questionnaire, designed on Kobo Collect. The data were downloaded and cleaned in MS excel, and then imported to Stata 14.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data using frequency distribution, percentage distribution. Results: The results showed that most 55.79% (212/380) of the participants were females. The findings also showed that most 9.94 (2.46) mean age of the participants were young children. The study revealed that more than half 66% (251/380) of the school children exhibited high knowledge. The oral health attitudes were found to be positive among 95.5% (363/380) of the school children and oral hygiene practices were also found to be poor among 46.6% (177/380) of the school children. Majority 87.6% (333/380) of the school children reported not to have ever suffered a dental problem. Conclusion: The high knowledge and positive attitudes towards oral hygiene, did not translate into improved oral hygiene practices. There is a gap between knowledge, attitudes, and practice, highlighting the need for interventions like organizing oral health campaigns to raise awareness, collaborate with local health practitioners and community leaders, development of age appropriate educational materials to promote better oral hygiene practices among primary school children in Kalaki Town Council, Kalaki District-Eastern Uganda.