Conhecimento e letramento em saúde bucal de professores do ensino fundamental

Abstract

Primary school teachers play a pivotal role in shaping health habits in children, including those related to oral health. However, studies on the level of knowledge and oral health literacy among these professionals remain scarce. This dissertation aims to compile, highlight, and analyse the current state of knowledge and oral health literacy among elementary school teachers, considering the social, academic, and situational contexts in which they operate, as well as the foundations for the construction of such knowledge. This research yielded two main academic-scientific outputs: (1) a systematic literature review on the knowledge and oral health literacy of elementary school teachers, which gathered and assessed a total of 41 studies, revealing a limited availability of research on oral health literacy in this population and showing that the oral health knowledge of elementary school teachers in public and private schools across various countries is unsatisfactory, suggesting training courses and lectures on the topic as potential strategies to improve this situation; and (2) a preliminary epidemiological study on the state of oral health literacy and knowledge of dental trauma management among elementary school teachers in state schools in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, which showed a generally positive situation regarding knowledge and literacy, with this population demonstrating good levels of reading comprehension, numeracy, listening, and decision-making, but incomplete knowledge regarding dental trauma. In this way, this dissertation contributes to expanding the body of knowledge on the subject, supporting the planning of educational interventions aimed at addressing the identified gaps.