• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.518-527
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• 2013

In 2011, South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare started a national tooth brushing room program without a pilot project. This study aimed to assess the effect of the implementation of this program in Gangneung, Korea. One-year outcomes of oral health behavior and self-reported oral symptoms in the study group after installation of the tooth brushing room were evaluated and compared with those of the control group using chi-square test. The prevalence rate of good self-rated oral health in grade 1-3 students increased from 35.7% immediately after installation to 48.9% after 6 months (p=0.031) compared to 37.3% in the control group (p=0.051). Immediately after installation of the tooth brushing room, 53.5% of grade 1-3 students in the study group brushed their teeth every day, but after 6 months, only 35.5% of students brushed daily (p<0.001) compared to 28.6% in the control group (p=0.007). The prevalence rate of bad breath in grade 1-3 students was 26.2% for the study group immediately after installation compared to 25.5% in the control group (p=0.065), but it declined 16.5% after 6 months (p=0.055). The prevalence rate of bad breath in grade 4~6 students was 14.7% for the study group after 6 months compared to 25.3% in the control group (p=0.016). We recommend the creation of a healthy school environment through a school-based tooth brushing program under the active supervision of classroom teachers and the continuous monitoring of program processes in order to promote children's oral health.