Abstract:

Objective:The purpose of this survey was to assess dental knowledge and behaviors of the teachers and mothers of school children.Methods:All data was collected from 1365 mothers of firstgrade students and 215 schoolteachers in Yichang, Hubei by using questionnaires and, analyzed using SPSS software.Results:The level of dental knowledge was higher among schoolteachers than among mothers; the motherswere mostly informed through television/book (62.4% /51.5%), while teachers received infor- mation from various sources, including the dentists (75.3%). Most of the children (94.0%) didnct have practical support from their parents in daily tooth cleaning. Only 18.9% of them visited the dentist at leastonce peryear.Conclusion:This finding sug- gested thatwe should emphasize oral healthy education among mothers and schoolteachers, in order to promote school-based oral health education program.

Key words: schoolchildren, oralhealthknowledge, parents, schoolteacher