Knowledge and preventive practices regarding cavities and gingivitis among Kindergarten teachers fron the National Board of Kindergartens of Santiago

Abstract

Purposes: Dental cavities and gingivitis are prevalent among the pediatric population. The purpose of the present work was to describe the knowledge in cavity and gingivitis prevention among kindergarten teachers in the province of Santiago and to assess their declared practices during the full school day which might prevent such conditions.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study was conducted with proportional stratified probabilistic cluster two-stage to select a sample of 209 professionals from the National Board of Kindergartens of the province of Santiago, who answered a previously validated selfadministered survey (Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.78). .

Results: The degree of knowledge was rated as good (0.69, Confi dence Interval 0.67-0.70). As for preventive practices, toothbrushing was carried out in 98% of the facilities. With regard to the kind of food consumed, fruits and milk prevailed, with 52.3% and 58.3% respectively.

The topics with the lowest correct answer rates were those regarding the use of topical fluoride, the onset of toothbrushing habits and toothbrushing frequency.

Conclusions: There is an adequate degree of knowledge among teachers. Such knowledge constitutes a valuable tool to generate and sustain behavioral changes favoring oral health. In the fi eld of declared practices, practically all the teachers surveyed reported that their pupils toothbrush on a twice a week basis, thus being in accordance with the recommended effective toothbrushing practice in the specialized literatura