Attitude, knowledge and habits of high school pupils in Israel regarding oral health

U. Brook*, M. Heim, Y. Alkalai

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to study the habits, knowledge and attitudes of 132 high school students in regards to their teeth and oral health. An inflated amount of consumption of snack food and sweet beverages between meals was reported. Seventy-two point seven percent claimed to brush their teeth at least twice daily. Forty-nine point three percent claimed to visit their dentist annually. The results also demonstrated a poor general knowledge and misconceptions concerning teeth, food and oral health throughout the years of high school studies. Knowledge levels correlated with with age. More than half of the pupils attributed esthetical importance to the teeth appearance. The students' knowledge concerning prevention stemmed mainly from their dentist, parents, and the media and only 2.6% learned anything from formal school teaching. In the light of the students' poor knowledge, it would appear that resources should be invested in schools at the elementary and high school level for oral hygiene and caries prevention education in the hope of improving bad habits and perpetuating improved oral health and hygiene.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)171-175
Number of pages5
JournalPatient Education and Counseling
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1996
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • High school pupils
  • Oral health education
  • Oral health knowledge and attitude

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