Factors and Effects on Dental Health of Upper Primary School Students During the COVID-19 Crisis in Phu Khiao District, Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional analytic study aimed to examine: 1) predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors in oral health care, 2) effects on dental health, and 3) factors affecting dental health conditions among upper primary students during the COVID-19 crisis in Phu Khiao district, Chaiyaphum province. Population was 1,061 Prathom 4–6 students (4th–6th graders) in Phu Khiao district. A sample of 282 students were selected using cluster sampling method. Data were collected in July 2022 and analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and multiple linear regression.

The results showed, among the study participants, that: 1) in terms of predisposing factors, students had a moderate level of knowledge about oral health care at 56.4%, and a high level of attitudes towards oral health care at 81.2%; and 84.0% and 68.8% of them had a moderate level of enabling factors and reinforcing factors, respectively; 2) the overall effects on their dental health level were at a moderate at 55.7%; and 3) factors affecting their dental health status were gender, attitudes towards oral health care, dental hygiene accessories, accessibility to dental service, social supports and awareness of dental care information with 32.0% predictive effects on dental health conditions.