Assessing behavioural prevention strategies to reduce dental caries in the primary schools of the state of qatar-case study

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple case studies were conducted using a public school and a private school to understand why the prevalence of dental caries was high among primary school children despite previous oral health strategies. The study is aimed to inform the refinement of current dental caries prevention behavioural strategies in Qatar for school children in both public and private settings. Methods: Purposive sampling was used to select 5 pupils, 5 parents, 5 teachers and 2 school nursese for the case study. A semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted with the participants to understand issues relating to prevalence and control of dental caries among school pupils. Results: The study found that home context plays a crucial role in terms of oral health motivation in Qatar. It was found that children are taught the most basic daily oral hygiene-related behaviours at home, including tooth brushing and dental flossing. Discussion: The study revealed the role of parents at home in supporting oral health activities to motivate and empower children to take part in such behaviours. Also, parents and teachers work in collaboration to enhance oral health behaviours in children.