Relationship oral self-efficacy toward tooth-brushing behaviors in children

¹ Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
² Nusantara Scientific Research Center (NSRC), Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
³ Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
⁵ Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: dianyosi@umy.ac.id

Abstract

The issue of oral and dental health continues to pose a significant global challenge, particularly for individuals with limited economic means. Extensive literature has highlighted the substantial influence of an individual’s perceived self-efficacy on health-related behaviors and outcomes, including those related to oral health. This study aims to assess the relationship between children’s self-efficacy in oral care, particularly in tooth brushing behavior, and the incidence of tooth pain. This study employed an observational analytic approach with a cross-sectional design. Data was collected by administering questionnaires to 53 students at Klangon Elementary School in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The primary aim of the questionnaire was to gauge positive sentiments regarding oral hygiene practices, emphasizing the expected high frequency of “Strongly Agree” responses. However, the predominant response observed among participants leaned towards the “Neither Agree nor Disagree” option, indicating a prevailing tendency towards neutrality in their attitudes. The research findings revealed that 46 out of 53 children, representing 86.79% of the sample, reported experiencing the most significant tooth pain. In comparison, only seven children, accounting for 13.21%, reported being entirely free of pain. The analysis using Spearman’s two-tailed test indicates a weak correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.12) between individuals’ self- efficacy in tooth brushing behavior and their reported experiences with tooth pain. The p-value of 0.41 suggests this correlation is not statistically significant (p>0.05). Therefore, it can be inferred that there is no meaningful association between oral self-efficacy and tooth-brushing behavior.