Evaluating the provision of oral health education material in Schools in Finland

The Finnish Dental Association donated new oral health education material (OHEM) to all upper comprehensive schools in 2008.

The aim of this study was to determine whether that OHEM was noticed, received and used in schools, and whether oral health teaching and teachers' attitudes towards oral health changed after distribution of the OHEM.

Surveys were conducted using online questionnaires for all health education teachers in upper comprehensive schools in Finland. Schools response rates were 39% in 2008, and 40% in 2009. Statistical significances between the teachers and between the schools according to background variables were analysed using a Pearson's Chi-square test for nominal data and Mantel-Haenszel Chi-square test for ordinal data. Changes between 2008 and 2009 were evaluated using percentage change and confidence intervals.

Of the responding teachers, 46% reported that they had received the OHEM and 33% had used it in their teaching. The number of teachers teaching oral health did not change after the OHEM, but teachers who taught oral health reported teaching all oral-health-related topics more frequently than they did before. Female teachers more often reported having received the OHEM (48% vs 32%, p=0.011) and having used it (36% vs 22%, p=0.017) than did male teachers.

The OHEM may not lead more teachers to teach oral health, but it provides them with the resources to teach the subject more comprehensively. The OHEM must be planned in close co-operation between schools and local dental health care professionals, to make it better known and accepted among teachers, especially male teachers.