Evaluation of the Success of Dental Health Counseling for Students of Elementary School No. 44 Sungai Lareh Lubuk Minturun

Abstract

Introduction. The World Health Organization (2014) states that globally, there are 2 billion individuals suffering from caries in permanent teeth and 514 million children suffering from caries in primary teeth. Basic Health Research (2018) states that the prevalence of caries in Indonesia is more than 80%. Furthermore, the initial examination of the state of dental health in students of SDN No.44 Lubuk Minturun showed unsatisfactory numbers, so it is necessary to make preventive efforts from an early age to improve the dental health status of the students. Objective. The purpose of this paper is to determine changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to maintain oral hygiene after dental health counseling for elementary school students 44 in Lubuk Minturun, West Sumatra. Methods. Data from 105 students regarding knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of maintaining dental health before and after counseling were obtained from questionnaires filled out by students. The sampling technique of this study was total sampling, while the inclusion criteria of the subjects were students aged 9-12 years, filling out the questionnaire completely and being cooperative. The descriptive-analytic study was conducted with the Wilcoxon sign rank. Results. There was a significant difference in the change of knowledge, attitude, and behavior in children of SDN 44 Lubuk Minturun (p<0.005) with the Wilcoxon test. Conclusion. Promotive activities of dental health counseling can improve knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in maintaining dental health