Stages of change for Tooth decay preventive behaviors and related factors among sample of elementary school students

Oral and dental diseases have detrimental effects in childhood and old age alike and account for 5 to 10 percent of all health costs. As Stages of Change Model shows the present state of an individual’s behavior and intention to change behavior, this study tried to determine Stages of Change of tooth decay preventive behaviors and its association with knowledge and attitudes of elementary school students in Nehbandan city.
This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 414 fifth and sixth grade students of Nehbandan city. From among 13 primary schools (8 girl schools and 5 boy schools), 32 students of the fifth and sixth grades were recruited using randomized cluster sampling method. The data were collected through a pre-made valid and reliable questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and Stages of Change of the behavior. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS-18 using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.
The mean age of participants was 11.48±0.79 years. The results of the study concerning the Stages of Change of tooth decay preventive showed that in terms of applying dental floss, the brushing teeth, using mouthwash , regular visit to the dentist, and reducing consumption of sugary foods, the most students were at the stages of readiness (34.1%), action (27.8%), pre-contemplation (30.4%), maintenance (26.9%), and contemplation (30.4%) respectively. The mean score of the students’ knowledge about preventive behaviors against tooth decay was 6.14±2.1 out of 11, and the mean score of the students’ attitude towards tooth decay preventive behaviors was 24.48±6.4 out of 60. Based on the Kruskal-Wallis test, there was a significant difference in the mean knowledge scores based on the stages of change of using dental floss (P The findings of the study showed that the majority of the students were in the non-active stage of behaviors and probably, in the future, they will be susceptible to more dental decay. Trans-theoretical model can be used to determine the strategies related to each of the stages of change of oral and dental self-care behaviors in order to improve and maintain the behavior in interventions and educational programs.