The Smiling Schools project, undertaken in 2006–07, was a demonstration project that administered an oral health literacy survey to a sample of Victorian primary school children and their parents.
Eleven randomly selected schools consented to participating in this study. The parents of children in grades one, five and six each were invited to participate. Children in grades five and six were also invited to participate in the survey.
The aim of the project was to explore the oral health literacy of Victorian primary school children and their parents, an area where there is currently little available literature. The project also aimed to determine the relationships between oral health literacy, oral health practices and oral health knowledge; to establish a benchmark against which the effectiveness of oral health promotion initiatives could be evaluated; and to examine population awareness of the key messages of the Oral Health Guidelines for Victorians (Department of Human Services Victoria 2003).
To view the Smiling Schools report click here (PDF, 4.11MB)