Background: elementary schoolteachers play a central role in shaping their students’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours related to health and oral hygiene. This study was designed to evaluate Turkish schoolteachers’ levels of oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among elementary schoolteachers in Istanbul using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of 36 multiple-choice items categorised into six sections, and the participants were recruited using convenience sampling. (3) Results: A total of 385 elementary schoolteachers participated in this study. The majority were female (62.2%), qualified with a licensure degree (81.3%) and working in public schools (86.5%). Female gender and greater work experience were found to be promoters for oral health knowledge and positive attitudes. The correlation between their perceived knowledge and actual knowledge was very weak, thus suggesting that the teachers are inclined to overestimate their knowledge. Conclusions: The Turkish elementary schoolteachers showed satisfactory oral health knowledge and attitudes toward oral health education. The teachers’ knowledge about dental trauma management was inadequate, necessitating urgent educational interventions, especially for physical education teachers, who are at the greatest risk of encountering such events during their work. The oral hygiene behaviours were not associated with teachers’ oral health knowledge, attitudes, or practice, thus requiring further investigation.
Tutum Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Ölçek kullanımı için Vefikuluçay'dan yazılı onay alınmıştır. Verilerin analizinde ise t-testi ve varyans analizi kullanıldı. Ayrıca Kişisel Bilgi Formu ile elde edilen bilgiler yüzde ve frekans olarak verildi. Araştırmanın sonucunda, kadın öğrencilerin erkek öğrencilere göre ve Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi öğrencilerinin diğer öğrencilere göre yaşlı bireylere yönelik daha olumlu tutumlara sahip olduğu saptandı. Ayrıca, ailede yaşlı bir bireyin olması, evde yaşlı bir bireyle birlikte yaşama ve yaşlı bireylerle yüksek oranda karşılaşma sıklığına sahip olma gibi yaşlılarla birlikteliği arttıran özelliklerin de olumlu tutumları arttırdığı belirlendi.Araştırma puanlarına bakılarak yaşlılara yönelik olumsuz tutum puanlarında en yüksek puanlara sahip gruplar üzerinde araştırmalar yapılabilir.
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