The state of knowledge of Polish teachers about oral health and methods of preventing tooth decay in children – a sociomedical survey

Background Despite its proven preventability, dental caries is still common in young children attending preschools and primary schools ranging from 41.1% of children aged 3 years to 76.8% of children aged 5 years. As young students are exposed to behavioral patterns and knowledge of their educators during several hours a day it is crucial that teachers should be involved in shaping oral health behaviors as they are recognized as children’s main authority. The state of teachers’ knowledge on oral health and causative factors of dental caries may influence teachers’ attitude to provide oral health education to students. Methods Primary education teachers from schools were invited to take part in this online survey in 2019. An anonymous electronic questionnaire for teachers of 6-year-olds contained closed questions assessing their knowledge about the etiology of caries in children, the benefits of dental care and caries prophylaxis. Statistical analysis of data included comparisons of the study groups for quantitative variables (parametric tests), categorical variables (chi-square test), assessment of the relationships between selected factors (Spearman's correlation analysis); statistical significance level p < 0.05). Results 355 of 759 invited teachers accepted the invitation and completed the questionnaires. 88.17% assessed their knowledge on oral health and caries prevention as adequate or fully satisfying. 80.28% agreed that they should provide oral health care education and 79.72% conducted educational classes on oral health issues, however 33.8% declared they felt unprepared to do so and only 30.7% attended educational programmes covering oral health education. Teachers lacked the knowledge on using fluoride toothpastes from the first tooth present in the oral cavity, time of first visit, frequency of dental check-ups and caregiver responsibility for toothbrushing of preschool children’s teeth. Correct answers to all questions assessing teachers’ knowledge of the use of oral hygiene products and fluoride prophylaxis in 5-year-olds were provided by 3.1% of respondents. 35.77% correctly answered questions regarding etiology of dental caries, 46.2% knew the role of fluoride in caries prevention. All cariogenic products were correctly identified by 14.93% of respondents and 29.3% correctly answered all questions testing knowledge about how to care for children's oral health. Knowledge about the etiology of caries was positively correlated with participation in training on oral health and caries prevention in children, and the state of general knowledge about caring for children's oral health was positively correlated with high self-assessment of their own knowledge by teachers. Conclusions Low teachers' level of knowledge in the field of oral health and caries prevention did not correspond to their self-assessment. Since teachers indicated the lack of preparation for conducting educational activities in the field of oral health and caries prevention as a factor limiting the introduction of education on this topic in classes, it is necessary to include this issue in their educational process. As a help for teachers, professionals in the field of oral health and education may create educational programs and ready-made training materials for use during lessons.