Original scientific paper
Dental health and health culture in the primary school children
Marija Varoščić
; Medicinski fakultet, Stomatološki studij, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Juraj Hraste
; Medicinski fakultet, Stomatološki studij, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Abstract
In the introduction, health culture is pointed out as an integral part of
culture in general, with a specific way of human communication allowing one’s own health to be comprehended and experienced, also including dental health. The period of primary schooling has been noted as being most appropriate for the formation of habits, since at school certain situations can be adequately repeated which are necessary to adopt them permanently. A representative sample of 1010 pupils from Rijeka, attending the 3rd to 7th primary school grades, was included in the study. The following results were obtained by the poll taken: a) Question: What disease are you particularly afraid of? In the list containing 12 diseases, cancer leads with 55.92%, and dental diseases occupy the seventh place with 9.76% of positive answers; b) Question: What disease are you afraid most? Among the four diseases listed, tooth-ache is on the third place with 13.12% of positive answers; c) In order to assess the awareness of a hygienic habit of tooth brushing, the following question was put: Why should we brush our teeth? The answer: To keep our teeth healthy and to avoid tooth-ache, was chosen by 68.93% of the children, occupying thus the first place among the eight answers offered; and d) Question: How often do you brush your teeth? Among five options, most (47.23%) children chose the following answer: Twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. It is concluded that health education should start in early childhood, to allow the children to adopt certain habits, and that it should also be adequately combined with other preventive measures.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
105149
URI
Publication date:
15.3.1986.
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