TOOTH BRUSHING SONG AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE TOOTH BRUSHING SKILLS AND DENTAL HYGIENE STATUS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of dental caries in preschool children is higher than in elementary school children. Apart from dental caries, preschool children generally have poor dental hygiene status, this is because preschool children do not yet have the independence to brush their teeth. Promotive and preventive measures must be emphasized because curative measures require more complex treatment and greater costs. Promotive efforts are carried out through dental and oral health education, especially the formation of dental health behavior. One effort is to modify the method of providing oral health education by using music and songs. Objective: This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of tooth brushing songs in improving preschool children's tooth brushing skills and dental hygiene status. Method: This research used a pre-experimental design with a pretest and posttest with control group design. This research was carried out on pre-school children at Pertiwi VI Kindergarten, Pondok Labu Village, South Jakarta. The sampling technique was purposive sampling of 33 respondents. The instruments used to measure teeth brushing skills were observation sheets and the PHP-M index to measure dental hygiene status. The data was tested using paired sample t-test analysis, namely a pre-post design. Results: The tooth brushing song was effective in improving tooth brushing skills (p<0.001) and effective in improving the dental and oral hygiene status of preschool children (p<0.001). Conclusion: The tooth brushing song is effective in improving preschool children's tooth brushing skills and dental hygiene status.