Oral health knowledge among primary school adolescents: A cross-sectional study from Maasai populated areas in Tanzania

Oral health knowledge (OHK) is vital for maintenance of good oral health. However, poor oral health remains a significant burden for individuals globally. This study aimed to assess OHK by ethnicity and its covariates in terms of sociodemographic, clinical oral health status and dental health care utilization among primary school adolescents in rural Maasai populated areas in Tanzania. Using a two-stage cluster sample design, we randomly selected 23 out of 66 eligible rural schools in Arusha region, where a total of 906 (91.6%) adolescents aged 12-14 years accepted to participate an interview and an oral clinical examination. The interview included questions on socio-demographic factors and oral health related behavior, while clinical examination included oral hygiene status, gingival bleeding, DMFT, dental fluorosis and dental erosion. OHK was assessed by asking six questions whereby the higher the sum-score in the index, the higher the knowledge for the adolescent towards oral health. Good OHK was observed on 65.1% (590/906) of the adolescents, whereby good OHK in non-Maasai and Maasai were 79.5% and 61.4%, respectively. For the whole group of Maasais and non-Maasais, clinical variables (oral hygiene status, gingival bleeding, DMFT, dental fluorosis and dental erosion) were not associated with good OHK. However, for the non-Maasai group, having less dental fluorosis was associated with good OHK. Modified Poisson regression analysis revealed that being a non-Maasai (APR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.4), having a mother with higher education level (APR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.4) and ever visited a dentist for dental check-up (APR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.4) were significant predictors for having good OHK. A slight majority of the adolescents investigated had good OHK which was significantly associated with ethnicity, maternal education level and ever visited for dental check-up. There is a need to improve OHK, and emphasize adoption of oral disease prevention efforts.