Improving knowledge of antemortem dental records through community empowerment programs in disaster-prone areas of Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Indonesia is situated in the ring of fire area, which is vulnerable to natural disasters. Data from the National Board of Disaster Management (BNPB) revealed that 4650 disasters occurred in Indonesia in 2020, killing over 350 people. Aim and Objectives: The current study was conducted as part of a community empowerment program in a disaster-prone area of Indonesia. This study aimed to assess the community's understanding of the importance of dental records as antemortem data and disaster mitigation awareness. Materials and Methods: A series of lectures, counseling, and training on the management of antemortem dental records and disaster knowledge were delivered to 58 community health promoters (18 males and 40 females; ages 24-57) from the disaster-prone area. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires were used to evaluate participants’ knowledge of disaster preparedness, antemortem data, and dental records. Results: This study found that participants with a high school education had the highest average pre-test questionnaire score (78.5/100), while those with a bachelor’s degree had the highest average post-test questionnaire score (91.0/100). An improvement in the post-test scores was obtained by 55.2% of participants. However, 17.2% of the participants’ post-test scores were lower than their pre-test scores. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test revealed that post-test scores increased significantly when compared to pre-test scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: The present study suggests that the community empowerment program positively impacts community awareness of the antemortem dental records data and disaster preparedness in disaster-prone areas.