Factors Influencing Tooth Cleaning Behaviors for Dental Caries Prevention of Grade 6 Students in Muang District, Phitsanulok Province

Abstract

The objectives of descriptive research are (1) to study the perceived vulnerability of dental caries, perceived severity of dental caries, perceived efficacy of dental caries prevention, self-efficacy of dental caries prevention, enabling factors, reinforcing factors, and the tooth cleaning behaviors for dental caries prevention (2) to study the factor that affect the tooth cleaning behaviors for dental caries prevention, and to study the capabilities of the perceptive factors, enabling factors, reinforcing factors and personal factors in order to predict the dental caries prevention behavior of the 6^th grade students in Muang District, Phitsanulok Province. The sample group in this research are 367 sixth-grade students, randomized with multi-step randomization, collecting data with questionnaire that passed the standard validity and reliability controls and the statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. This research found that the factors that the level of perceived severity of dental caries, perceived efficacy of dental caries prevention, self-efficacy of dental caries prevention and enabling factors were on high level. The level of perceived vulnerability of dental caries, reinforcing factors and tooth cleaning for dental caries prevention were on moderate level. Analysis of the factors that affect the tooth cleaning for dental caries prevention showed that the factor affects most are:  self-efficacy of dental caries prevention, reinforcing factors, age, and daily allowance of 20-31 baht per day. These factors combined can predict 28.0%. The results of this research can be used as a guideline to change the tooth cleaning behaviors for dental caries prevention in the next opportunity.