AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA NEEDS STUDY ON DENTAL CARIES: A SYNERGISTIC BLEND OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES

Abstract

Dental caries remains a global issue, with a high incidence still prevalent in Indonesia. Promotive activities are essential to enhance children's knowledge from an early age, enabling them to practice preventive measures against dental caries. This research aimed to explore the need for audiovisual learning media to improve the understanding of dental caries among elementary school children. A mixed-method approach was utilized, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative phase involved conducting a survey on children's understanding levels of caries using a questionnaire and analyzing the data using descriptive statistics. Meanwhile, the qualitative phase included interviews with the school principal, a teacher, and a parent of a student using interview guidelines. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis methods to gain insights into perceptions regarding the potential development of audiovisual media. The findings indicated a low level of understanding among children about dental caries and limitations in dental health education efforts from health centers. Teachers, despite their efforts, faced challenges due to a lack of relevant knowledge. The potential of audiovisual learning media was acknowledged as an effective solution to enhance student understanding. In conclusion, this study highlights the necessity for developing captivating and age-appropriate audiovisual learning media for elementary school students