بررسی تأثیر گروه دوستی هم سالان بر سلامت دهان دانش آموزان ۹ و ۱۲ ساله در شهر قزوین در سال تحصیلی ۱۳۹۷-۱۳۹۸. (Persian)

Background and Aims: Nowadays, the requirement of any policy-making at the national and regional level is to know the level of knowledge of people about oral health and ways to prevent dental caries. This study examined the habits, actions and economic level of elementary school students in Qazvin city in 2017-2018. Also, the effects of peer group social network on behaviors related to oral health and obesity was investigated in order to find the way for interventions making it more effective in this social group. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 145 students participated. They were in the 3nd and 6th grades of elementary school in the academic year of 2017-2018. The questionnaire used in this study had 20 questions and 4 main sections. The main parts of this questionnaire included demographic characteristics, behavior and habits related to oral health, oral health knowledge of students and families, and socio-economic status. Data were collected through clinical examinations and through valid questionnaires and evaluated using SPSS and Excel software. Results: According to the results of Pearson's correlation analysis, a significant correlation was observed between the health knowledge scores of individuals and their friends between both groups of casual and close friends (P<0.01). The correlation between the knowledge of individuals and close friends was significantly stronger (P<0.01). Also, there was a significant relationship between socio- economic status and behaviors related to oral health (P<0.05). There was also a significant positive relationship between the number of times close friends brushing their teeth in a social network (P<0.001). This connection was not observed in the friends’ network. Conclusion: This study determined that close friends can be effective in determining the oral hygiene behaviors of elementary school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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