Oral health knowledge and sources of information among male Saudi school children

The purpose of present study was to determine the oral health knowledge and sources of information in male Saudi school children. The required information was collected through a especially designed questionnaire. A total of 130 children completed the questionnaire with the mean age of 13.3 (SD 1.9) years. There was no significant difference in oral health knowledge or sources of information in relation to age and educational level. Less than half (44.6%) of the children actually had heard about fluoride, one-third (34.6%) correctly identified the action of fluoride as preventing tooth decay. Almost all (97.2%) the children thought that sweets (chocolates/candies) could cause tooth decay. However, a large number of children were not aware of cariogenic potential of soft drinks (31.5%). More than half (53.1%) of the children reported that their dentist taught them how to brush properly. However, 11.5% children were not taught by any one about proper tooth-brushing. A large number (40.0%) of children thought that one must visit the dentist only in case of pain in the teeth. Dentists were the most popular (61.5%) source of oral health information. It can be concluded that the children need further oral health education in areas of caries prevention, and there was a need to utilise parents, schoolteachers and media to enhance their oral health knowledge.