ASSOCIAÇÃO ENTRE O ALFABETISMO EM SAÚDE BUCAL E OS CONHECIMENTOS DE ACADÊMICOS DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA SOBRE AVULSÃO DENTÁRIA

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of Oral Health Literacy (OHL) on the knowledge of Physical Education students regarding dental avulsion and replantation, as well as the effect of an educational intervention on this knowledge. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 53 Physical Education undergraduates. The students completed three questionnaires, one related to sociodemographic and course information, other containing questions about dental avulsion and replantation, along with the Health Literacy Scale (HELD-14) to evaluate OHL. The questionnaire on dental avulsion and replantation was completed at the beginning of the study and immediately after the delivery of an educational leaflet on the subject. Data were analyzed descriptively and using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Student's t-test, and McNemar's test (α = 5%). The average OHL scores were higher in individuals who knew the correct concepts of dental avulsion and replantation and claimed to be capable of replanting an avulsed tooth, but without statistically significant differences (p>0.05). Initial knowledge on the subject was low in all questionnaire items. There was a significant improvement in questions related to these concepts, and in the correct procedures to follow, appropriate storage, and the ideal timeframe for replantation after receiving the leaflet (p<0.001). It is concluded that OHL did not influence the knowledge of dental avulsion and replantation, and the educational intervention positively contributed to increasing the knowledge of Physical Education students on the topic.