Abstract
Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the oral health behavior and knowledge of middle schoolers in an attempt to facilitate the selection of what to teach about oral health. Methods : The subjects in this study were 315 students at three different middle schools located in the city of Gunsan. After a self-administered survey was conducted by using structured questionnaires in collaboration with their homeroom teachers, the answer sheets from 315 students were gathered. And the answer sheets from 302 students were analyzed with SPSS 12.0 program except 13 incomplete ones. The findings of the study were as follows: Results : 1. By gender and grade, the middle school boys(51.3%) outnumbered the middle school girls(48.7%), and the seventh, eighty and ninth graders respectively accounted for 31.5, 32.8 and 35.8 percent. 2. As to the parts of the mouth they brushed, the largest number of the seventh graders(31.6%) and ninth graders(56.5%) brushed their teeth and tongue. The largest group of the eighth graders(39.4%) brushed their teeth, tongue and gums, and the gaps between them and the others were statistically significant. 3. In regard to toothbrushing frequency, the ninth graders did that 2.62 times, which was the largest frequency, but the gap between them and the others was not statistically significant. 4. Concerning school oral health education experiences, the rates of the seventh, eighth and ninth graders who had ever received that education stood at 69.5, 50.6 and 50.5 percent respectively, and those students significantly outnumbered the others who hadn't(p<0.01). 5. As for the relationship of their oral health behavior scores to toothbrushing frequency, there was a statistically significant correlation between the two(r=0.227, p<0.001). And the oral health knowledge scores had a statistically significant correlation to toothbrushing frequency (r=0.116, p<0.05) and oral health behavior scores(r=0.358, p<0.001). Conclusions : It is concluded that proactive oral health education must be made through diverse programs and systems. Also, regular oral examination and active oral health program for preventing dental caries and periodontal disease should be proliferated in order to evaluate achievement and effectiveness and maintain oral health care.
