Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Oral Health among Secondary School Students in Mekelle Town, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Poor oral hygiene is a major risk factor for developing oral diseases such as tooth decay, gingivitis as well as periodontitis. It affects 3.9 billion people globally. Africa being one of the developing regions records significant prevalence of oral diseases. Oral disease occurs in 39 out of 46 countries in Africa. According to Word Health Organization estimation, in Ethiopia, 71% of the population is affected by oral health related illness. Objective: To asses knowledge, attitude and practice towards oral health among secondary school students in Mekelle town, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2018. Methods and Materials: The study was conducted from May 6–7, 2018, at secondary school students in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted and stratified simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 244 participants among secondary school students found in Mekelle. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using Excel 2016 version and presented in the form of tables, graphs and pie charts. Ethical Consideration: Approval was obtained from Sheba university college to carry out the study in the institution and permission was asked from the school administration through the principal of the school to carry out the study. Result: A total of 244 students were participants, 123 (50.4%) of students learned about oral health, 82 (33.6%) had history of dental visit and 120 (49.2%) were tooth brush users. Conclusion: Among 244 study participants, 56.9% females participated in the study, 39% had good level of knowledge, 33% were with good attitude and 42.6% had good practice. Most of the students did not carry out good oral hygiene practices and only visited dentist clinic due to tooth pain. Recommendation: Establishment of oral health education programs in the school, more study should be done.

Keywords: Oral health, knowledge, practice, attitudes, secondary school students, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Cite this Article

Henock Fantahun, Adhanom Gebreslassie Berhe, Selam Mezgebe. Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Oral Health among Secondary School Students in Mekelle Town, Tigray, Ethiopia. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Dentistry. 2018; 9(3): 17–33p.