Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39661233›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry2025

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of Irish preschool teachers regarding the oral health of preschool children.

E Y Lee, S Abdulhadi, R Alshawaf, A Durrani, D R George, A Nagpal, C J O'Driscoll, H Price, M van Harten, D Sagheri

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Article in European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Periodontal Health Knowledge of Schoolteachers: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

E Y LeeDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland. Elizabeth.lee.ying@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-2985-6293
S AbdulhadiDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
R AlshawafDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
A DurraniDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
D R GeorgeDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
A NagpalDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
C J O'DriscollDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
H PriceDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
M van HartenDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
D SagheriDepartment of Public and Child Dental Health, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of Irish preschool teachers regarding the oral health (OH) of preschoolers aged 3-5 years old.

methodsA validated 15-item questionnaire was completed by 90 preschool teachers in Dublin in January 2024. The questionnaire collected information on general demographics and assessed the knowledge and attitudes of teachers regarding early childhood OH. In addition, guided interviews were conducted to find out preschool teachers' awareness of OH training and resources, the challenges they face in organising OH education and their suggestions for improvement.

resultsOut of a cohort of 90 respondents, the mean number of questions answered correctly was 5.32 out of 9. One-third (34.4%) of the teachers said they learnt their OH knowledge from school or college, 8.9% from early childhood care training, 22.2% from their own dentist and 24.4% from other sources. Most teachers implemented OH education in some form whilst others said they had no time or resources. Qualitative data revealed a lack of formal OH training and knowledge, ideas for integrated OH activities, importance of collaboration and community engagement, barriers and challenges in implementation and need for mandatory OH training.

conclusionThere are gaps in OH knowledge and lack of OH training for Irish preschool teachers. By identifying barriers and facilitators around OH training and resources for preschool teachers, the preschool teachers can be encouraged to create more supportive environments for improved OH.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeOral HealthSchool TeachersAdultChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIrelandMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesDental educationEarly childhood educationOral healthPreschoolTeachers

Identifiers

PMID39661233

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.