The Effectiveness of Dental Health Education with and without Tooth Brushing Training on Reducing Plaque Scores in Students of SDN 060915 Medan

Efforts to establish proper tooth brushing behaviour for plaque removal can be carried out through education and tooth brushing training. Dental Health Education (DHE) serves as a promotive intervention to improve knowledge and behavior in maintaining oral health. To determine the difference in the effectiveness of Dental Health Education (DHE) with and without tooth brushing training on the reduction of plaque scores. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-post test control group. A total of 76 students were selected and divided into four groups: a control group without intervention and an intervention group: receiving DHE without tooth brushing training; receiving DHE with tooth brushing training once; receiving DHE with tooth brushing training three times. Plaque measurements were conducted using the Personal Hygiene Performance (PHP) index on the first day and the 21st day. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test and Post Hoc analysis. There was a reduction in the mean plaque score across all groups, with the greatest decrease observed in the group receiving DHE with tooth brushing training three times, amounting to (2,09 ± 0,643). Significant differences were found in all three intervention groups (p