Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of schoolchildren towards oral health and dental care, as well as to evaluate the factors that determine these variables. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed on 511 students (219 girls, and 292 boys) attending public schools in Tripoli, aged 12-14 years, between October and November 2018, using a pre-structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26. Results: oral hygiene habits, such as tooth brushing, were found to be infrequent, and the role of parents in encouraging oral hygiene habits was limited. The study showed higher awareness of school-aged children about dental caries than periodontal conditions. In general, girls were more knowledgeable significantly than boys. Irregular visits to the dentist were found to be common, and toothache was the major driving factor for dental visits. Conclusion: children’s and parents’ attitudes toward oral health and dental care need to be improved. Comprehensive oral health educational programs for both children and their parents are required to achieve this goal. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first study that explored such issues among schoolchildren in Municipality of Tripoli Center.