Oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of teachers and healthcare workers in special schools for the disabled children in Isfahan

Abstract

Oral health is an important aspect of general health, and is of great importance, especially in disabled children. A school is an ideal place for the implementation of preventive programs. Considering the significance of the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease in disabled children, and the important role of teachers in the oral health promotion of students, this study aimed to assess the oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of teachers and healthcare workers in special schools for the disabled children in Isfahan. This descriptive-analytical study evaluated the oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of 172 teachers and healthcare workers of special schools for disabled children in Isfahan using a questionnaire. The participants were selected using census sampling. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS via the Chi-square test, t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient at P < 0.05 level of significance. The mean score of knowledge and attitude of teachers was 72.2 and 80.5, respectively. The mean score of knowledge of healthcare workers was significantly higher than that of teachers (P = 0.007). Age had no significant correlation with the knowledge score (P = 0.41) but was significantly correlated with the attitude score (P = 0.01). Work experience had a significant correlation with the knowledge (P = 0.02) and attitude (P = 0.005) scores. In addition, the educational level had a significant correlation with the knowledge (P < 0.001) and attitude (P = 0.007) scores. The findings of this research showed that work experience had a significant correlation with the knowledge and attitude scores, which can be due to more contact of teachers with longer work experience with disabled children and their higher perception of hygienic needs and problems of these children.