Table 4.
Oral health knowledge and approaches of school teachers towards children.
| Knowledge and approaches | English (%) | Marathi (%) | Total (%) | Chi square test | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of times a child should brush | Once | 3 (0.6) | 2 (0.4) | 5 (1.0) | χ 2(3) = 0.86, p = 0.83 |
| Twice | 263 (51.5) | 190 (37.2) | 453 (88.7) | ||
| Thrice | 29 (5.7) | 22 (4.3) | 51 (10.0) | ||
|
| |||||
| Awareness of brushing techniques for children | Yes | 195 (38.2) | 168 (32.9) | 363 (71.1) | χ 2(1) = 6.4, p = 0.04 |
| No | 91 (17.8) | 45 (8.8) | 136 (26.6) | ||
|
| |||||
| Tooth cleaning method used | Horizontal | 63 (12.3) | 29 (5.7) | 92 (18.0) | χ 2(3) = 13.43, p = 0.04 |
| Vertical | 41 (8.0) | 34 (6.7) | 75 (14.7) | ||
| Circular | 103 (20.2) | 108 (21.1) | 211 (41.3) | ||
| Other | 3 (0.6) | 10 (2.0) | 13 (2.6) | ||
|
| |||||
| Clean their mouth after snacking | Yes | 160 (31.3) | 131 (25.6) | 291 (56.9) | χ 2(1) = 1.96, p = 0.16 |
| No | 131 (25.6) | 83 (16.2) | 214 (41.8) | ||
|
| |||||
| Awareness of fluoridated toothpaste | Yes | 153 (29.9) | 71 (13.9) | 224 (43.8) | χ 2(2) = 64.06, p = 0.000 |
| No | 92 (18.0) | 138 (27.0) | 230 (45.0) | ||
| Not sure | 49 (9.6) | 5 (1.0) | 54 (10.6) | ||
|
| |||||
| Awareness of school water fluoridation | Yes | 19 (3.7) | 18 (3.5) | 37 (7.2) | χ 2(2) = 40.45, p = 0.00 |
| No | 212 (41.5) | 191 (37.4) | 403 (78.9) | ||
| Not sure | 62 (12.1) | 4 (0.8) | 66 (12.9) | ||
|
| |||||
| Does oral health affect general health | Yes | 207 (40.5) | 171 (33.5) | 378 (74.0) | χ 2(2) = 8.56, p = 0.036 |
| No | 35 (6.9) | 17 (3.3) | 52 (10.2) | ||
| Not sure | 53 (10.4) | 77 (15.1) | 130 (25.5) | ||
|
| |||||
| Any oral health training | Yes | 37 (7.2) | 45 (8.8) | 82 (16.0) | χ 2(2) = 7.58, p = 0.023 |
| No | 251 (49.1) | 164 (32.1) | 415 (81.2) | ||
| Not sure | 6 (1.2) | 2 (0.4) | 8 (1.6) | ||
|
| |||||
| Discussion with parents | Yes | 130 (25.4) | 94 (18.4) | 224 (43.8) | χ 2(1) = 0.15, p = 0.90 |
| No | 164 (32.1) | 116 (22.7) | 280 (54.8) | ||