Çubuk İlçesi’ndeki Devlet Okullarında 2018-2019 Eğitim Öğretim Yılında Öğrenim Gören 4. Sınıf Öğrencilerinde Florürlü Vernik Uygulama Sıklığı ve Ebeveynlerinin Ağız Diş Sağlığı Bilgi ve Uygulamaları

Abstract

Kara M. The Prevalance of Fluoride Varnish Application Among the 4th Grade Students in Public Schools of Çubuk District during 2018-2019 Academic Year and their Parents' Knowledge and Practice Concerning Oral and Dental Health. Hacettepe University Institute of Health Sciences Master Thesis on Public Health. Ankara 2021. Although most of the oral and dental diseases are preventable, the prevalence is high. Tooth decay and gum diseases constitute a big part of the disease burden, and especially tooth decay maintains to be a global public health problem affecting the vast majority of school-aged children. The basis of the challenge with tooth decay consists of the reduction of the amount and frequency of dietary sugar consumption and the use of fluoride. With this cross-sectional study, it was aimed to determine the approaches of 4th-grade students' parents towards the application of fluoride varnish, the frequency of this application for their children, and the oral and dental health knowledge and practices that are related to the application. Following the Hacettepe University Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee Approval and other necessary institutional permissions, the study was conducted with 513 4th-grade student parents, who have agreed to participate in the study, in 13 state primary schools. Of the parents who took part in the study; 87.7% were mothers and 12,3% were fathers and the average age was 35.37 ± 5.88. Of the parents 30.2% stated that they brush their teeth at least twice a day, only 5.3% of them stated that they visit the dentist for control purposes at least once a year. The five-year fluoride varnish application records of the parents' children in the 4th grade were also examined starting back from kindergarten. While 64.0% of the parents allow the application of fluoride varnish in the kindergarten, the rate is 31.0% in the spring term of the 4th grade. Fluoride varnish refusals were statistically higher in parents attending from district center (p=0.014), in students’ in mothers (p=0.013) and in fathers (p=0.007) who graduated from high school and above. While the rate of giving permission was significantly higher in the parents who have consulted their childrens’ class teachers about the application of fluoride varnish (p<0.001), the rate of refusal was significantly higher in the parents who have obtained oral and dental health information from the internet (p=0.044). It is important to strengthen the role of teachers in the program by increasing the knowledge and motivation of teachers about fluoride varnish application in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education.