Teachers' Perceptions of Oral Health‐Related Barriers to School Functioning in a Socioeconomically Vulnerable School Community
Carolina Herrera‐Garcia, Joseph Ulate‐Jimenez, Ronald Soto‐Calderon, Adrian Gomez‐FernandezABSTRACT
Objectives
Oral health problems may function as health‐related barriers to school functioning by affecting children's concentration, attendance, and classroom participation, particularly in socioeconomically vulnerable settings. Teachers are strategically positioned to observe these situations and support school‐based oral health promotion; however, evidence from vulnerable Latin American communities remains limited. This study examined teachers' oral health awareness, perceptions regarding oral health‐related barriers to school functioning, classroom oral health promotion practices, and perceived support needs in a socioeconomically vulnerable school community in Costa Rica.
Methods
A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted among preschool and primary school teachers from 13 public educational institutions in a socioeconomically vulnerable urban district of Costa Rica ( N = 261). Data were collected using a structured self‐administered questionnaire assessing oral health awareness, perceived school functioning impacts, classroom oral health promotion practices, and support needs.
Results
Teachers reported high oral health awareness scores (mean score = 4.28 ± 0.61). Most participants perceived that oral health problems interfered with students' concentration (82.4%), and 82.0% reported observing situations in which oral health problems appeared to interfere with school functioning. Although 80.1% reported addressing oral health topics during the academic year, implementation was generally infrequent. Willingness to strengthen school‐based oral health promotion activities was high (86.6%).
Conclusions
Teachers frequently perceived oral health problems as relevant to students' school functioning; however, implementation of oral health promotion activities remained limited. Strengthening teacher‐focused training, institutional support, and school‐health collaboration may support more sustainable school‐based oral health promotion strategies in vulnerable communities.