Program Penyuluhan Dengan Demonstrasi Dan Pendampingan Sikat Gigi Untuk Meningkatkan Ketrampilan Sikat Gigi Di Sdn 1 Sungai Besar Banjarbaru

Abstract

Dental caries remains one of the major oral health problems among school-aged children. In the working area of Sungai Besar Public Health Center, Banjarbaru City, the highest prevalence of dental caries was found at SDN 1 Sungai Besar, reaching 66%. This condition indicates the need for promotive and preventive efforts through improving children's knowledge and skills in proper tooth brushing. This community service activity aimed to improve students' skills in brushing their teeth independently and correctly as an effort to prevent dental caries. The activity was conducted at SDN 1 Sungai Besar, Banjarbaru, involving first- and second-grade students. The methods included health education, demonstrations using a dental phantom, direct tooth-brushing practice, mentoring, and skills evaluation. Students' tooth-brushing skills were assessed using a 15-item checklist and categorized as unskilled, skilled, and highly skilled. The results showed an improvement in students' tooth-brushing skills following education, demonstration, and direct practice. Before the intervention, 55% of students were categorized as unskilled, 41.4% as skilled, and 3.6% as highly skilled. After the mentoring intervention, the proportion of unskilled students decreased to 4.5%, skilled students accounted for 33.3%, while the proportion of highly skilled students increased substantially to 60.4%. The involvement of teachers and parents, supported by the provision of educational leaflets, also contributed to the continued application of proper tooth-brushing skills at home. In conclusion, health education combined with demonstrations, direct practice, mentoring, and parental involvement can improve tooth-brushing skills among elementary school students. This activity is expected to serve as a sustainable promotive and preventive effort to improve children's oral health and reduce the risk of dental caries