TY - JOUR AU - Mfolo, Tshepiso AU - Madiba, Thomas K AU - Bhayat, Ahmed PY - 2021/06/30 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices among school teachers in Tshwane district, South Africa JF - South African Dental Journal JA - S. Afr. dent. j. VL - 76 IS - 5 SE - Research Articles DO - 10.17159/10.17159/2519-0105/2021/v76no6a3 UR - https://journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/sadj/article/view/11843 SP - 250-255 AB - <p>Teachers are perceived as role models and studies have shown that they can enhance the oral health behaviour of young children. To assess the oral health (OH) knowledge, attitudes <br>and practices of public school teachers in a district in Pretoria, South Africa. This was a cross sectional analytical study. The sample comprised of six schools that were randomly selected <br>within the Tshwane West sub district. A total of 160 teachers were included. A modified, self-administered, validated questionnaire was used to obtain the data. Of the 160 teachers included, 97 (61%) completed the questionnaire. The majority (80%) were female and the mean age was 38.23 years (±12.85; 22-66). More than 80% had an adequate level of OH knowledge, 94% reported it was important to visit a dental practitioner (DP) regularly and 94% believed that OH education should form part of the teaching curriculum. The most <br>common reason for visiting a DP was toothache (32%) while fear (35%) was the most common barrier. Those with a higher mean age were more likely to brush frequently (p&lt;0.01), utilise dental aids (p=0.01) and visit a DP regularly (p=0.02). The majority of teachers had adequate OH knowledge. The respondents with a higher mean age were more likely to brush frequently, use dental aids and visit a DP regularly. Workshops for teachers are required to improve current levels of knowledge and address any queries regarding <br>prevention and diagnosing of dental diseases.<br><br></p> ER -