Behavior of Dental Public Health Solving in a Community among Dental Public Health Students, Sirindhorn College of Public Health, Suphanburi Province

Abstract

          The purposes of the present study were 1) to study dental public health student behaviors, student’s self- efficacy, outcome expectancy and social support to solve dental health problems in a community 2) to assess the relationships amongst dental public health student’s self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and social support for solving dental health problems and behaviors to solve dental health problems in a community. Fifty-five of third year dental public health students in academic year 2014, of Sirindhorn College of Public Health, Suphanburi Province were recruited in the study. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations and the Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient were applied to analyze obtained data. A mean score of student behaviors solving dental health problems in a community was at a high level (m = 1.43,s = 0.32). Means of student’s self-efficacy and outcome expectancy were at moderate levels (m = 3.37,s = 0.41) and (m =3.40,s = 0.45). The students who received social support from their friends (m = 2.33,s = 0.50) and instructors (m = 2.57,s = 0.50) had an overall averaged score at a high level (m = 2.45,s = 0.45). The student’s self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and social support received from friends were significantly related to the student behavior for solving dental health problems in a community (p < 0.05). However, the social support received from instructors was not statistically related to the student behavior to the student behavior to solve dental health problems in a community. Researchers suggested the learning process of dental health related problem solving in community should be concretely implemented to public health discipline and its learning outcome should be specifically measured in order to increase student competencies.