Association between healthcare activities, education, and demography of school health trainers and periodontal indices of children in elementary schools of Tabriz, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Teachers and healthcare providers play an essential role in raising the level of awareness and knowledge and serve as a model for different aspects of healthcare. Primary school healthcare providers with the necessary education could improve the oral health of the students. One of the methods for evaluating oral health is the assessment of periodontal indices. The Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) is one of the most common indices for the assessment of gingival status. This study aimed to evaluate gingival health and its relationship with the level and the type of education and activity of healthcare providers in elementary schoolchildren. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 800 elementary schoolchildren in Tabriz, Iran, in 2017. Students’ gingival status was assessed with the CPITN. The healthcare teacher-associated factors, also, were determined through a checklist including age, sex, education, and activity. The data were analyzed with SPSS software. Independent t-test and chi-square test were done. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 63.2% of students had a CPITN score of 1, 31.5% of students had a CPITN score of 0, and 5.3% of students had a CPITN score of 2. Students of teachers with higher academic education (P = 0.029) and with health-related education (P = 0.013) received lower CPITN scores and had better periodontal health. There was no statistically significant relationship between age, sex, and activity of the teachers and CPITN of the students (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was a significant relationship between the gingival and oral health of students and the level of education of healthcare teachers and their health-related university education. We strongly recommend the continuing education program for the healthcare providers in elementary schools.