Effectiveness Dental Education and Training of Tooth Brushing on Knowledge, Attitude, Index Plaque of Patients with Schizophrenia.

Background: Schizophrenia is a psychotic mental disorder that affects the activities of daily life, one of which is oral hygiene.These symptoms affect the ability of schizophrenic patients to clean their teeth and mouth, thus manifesting into the oral cavity. Teeth that are not cleaned give rise to plaque and its severity can be assessed by plaque index. Objective: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of education and training teeth brushing on the knowledge, attitudes, and index of plaque. Materials and Method: Quasi-experimental was conducted among schizophrenic (n= 104), with experimental group (n=52), and control group (n=52). The questionnaire distributed to 104 outpatients, to know the patient’s level of knowledge and attitudes toward oral health, measurement of plaque index using TQHI (Turesky Modification of The Quigley-Hein Index). Education and training of teeth brushing are given to the experimental group with one-week intervals. Results: Mann Whitney U test on the experimental-control group showed significant results with p <0.05. Increased knowledge and attitudes are also showed by experimental groups with p <0.05. The results showed there was a decrease in the plaque index in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Dental education is needed to improve the oral health of schizophrenic patients. In the future, it is expected that there will be an education and training program for scheduled toothbrushing outpatients for schizophrenia to improve oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]