THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE & PRACTICES (KAP) ABOUT ORAL HYGIENE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN OF RURAL AREAS, PESHAWAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of oral hygiene in 10–15-years school children of both genders in rural areas, Peshawar. The sample size was 405, male (197) and female (208). A systematic random sampling technique was used and a well-designed questionnaire was administered to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of oral hygiene. Pilot study was applied on 10% of the sample population. The data analysis was done by using SPSS version 21.0. The results showed that both genders had significant knowledge about oral hygiene while female had more knowledge than boys having p-value<0.001. Majority of students had positive attitude toward oral hygiene as they were aware of benefits of brushing teeth, effects of dental carries and effects of chocolate and sticky foods. The children preferred the use of toothpaste over miswak whereas they followed horizontal technique of brushing. In this study children showed that they brushed their teeth once a day.