Young children’s ideas and practices towards oral health

Abstract

This qualitative case study aimed to investigate ideas and practices of 72 preschool children in relation to oral health, so that the findings would contribute to design learning environments. Data gathering techniques were structured interview and questionnaire. Most of children seemed to recognize and understand issues about oral health, although their actual behaviours seem to be moderate. Fewer children associated dental caries with sweets and even fewer attributed caries to poor oral hygiene and germs. Overall, preschoolers seem to understand cause and effect issues concerning oral health, facilitating design educational interventions for improving both knowledge and related healthy practices.