THE EFFECT OF ORAL HEALTH LITERACY PROMOTING PROGRAM ON ORAL HEALTH CARE BEHAVIOR AMONG GRADE 6 STUDENTS IN CHANTHABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of an oral health literacy enhancement program on the oral health care behaviors of Grade 6 students at Ban Makham School, Chanthaburi Province. The sample consisted of all 50 Grade 6 students at the school, who were selected by drawing lots and divided into an experimental group of 25 students and a control group of 25 students. The study period was six weeks. Research instruments included an oral health literacy enhancement program and a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, and standard deviation, as well as inferential statistics including paired t-test and independent t-test, with the level of statistical significance set at 0.05.

The results showed that after the experiment, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores in oral health literacy and oral health care behaviors than before the experiment, and higher than the control group (p-value < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the mean scores of media literacy between the experimental and control groups. Therefore, public health personnel can apply the oral health literacy enhancement program in their plans to promote better oral health care behaviors among students by adapting the program to fit the local context of the area.