School Dental Health Activities in Senior High School : I. Cognition of the Diagnosis of Annual Dental Health Examination

Abstract

The strategy and methods of annual dental health examinations at school were changed in 1995. Accordingly, the style of the dental health examination card was changed and observation of dental caries (CO) and gingivitis (GO) were introduced. Also, the importance of follow-up after the examination was emphasized. However, the results of dental health examinations at school are not always utilized effectively. In order to effectively utilize the dental health examination at school for dental health education, it is necessary to know how well students understand the diagnosis of the examination. The purpose of the study was to investigate how well students understand the diagnosis of annual dental health examinations. First-year senior high school students from two schools participated in the study. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information with respect to the cognition of the diagnosis of dental health examination by the students. The records of annual dental health examinations were also utilized. It was found that 95.6% of the students who had dental caries understood they had cavities. On the other hand, only 42.0% of the students understood that they had been diagnosed with gingivitis and 44% answered that they didn't understand the significance of the diagnosis. Among the students who were advised to visit a dental office for treatment, 44.3% and 55.9% received treatment for dental caries and gingivitis, respectively. It was speculated that low cognition of gingivitis by senior high school student was caused by the lack of health education on periodontal disease at elementary school or junior high school. Moreover, contents of the written notice of dental treatment are not effective for the students to understand their own oral health conditions. Since senior high school students seemed to be unaware of their periodontal diseases, it was suggested that dental health education to prevent periodontal disease is necessary for high school students.