Optimalisasi Pengetahuan Pencegahan Karies Gigi melalui Edukasi Kebersihan Gigi dan Mulut Berbasis Video pada Anak Sekolah Dasar Di SD Inpres Namosain Kota Kupang

Dental caries remains one of the most prevalent oral health problems among school-aged children. Limited knowledge regarding oral and dental hygiene is one of the factors contributing to an increased risk of dental caries. Health education using video-based media offers an alternative and engaging approach to health promotion, as it combines visual and auditory elements that can facilitate children’s understanding of the educational material. This community service activity aimed to improve students’ knowledge of dental caries prevention through video-based oral and dental hygiene education at SD Inpres Namosain, Kupang City. The activity was conducted in several stages, including coordination with the school, administration of a pretest, delivery of educational materials using video media, interactive discussions, and evaluation through a posttest. A total of 58 students participated in the activity. Participants’ knowledge levels were assessed using a questionnaire administered before and after the educational intervention. The results demonstrated an improvement in participants’ knowledge following the intervention. Prior to the intervention, the majority of students had a low level of knowledge, comprising 42 students (72.4%). Following the educational intervention, most students demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge, accounting for 34 students (58.6%), while the proportion of students with a good level of knowledge increased to 20 students (34.5%). The mean knowledge score increased from 9.76 before the intervention to 13.71 after the intervention. The evaluation results indicated that this improvement was statistically significant (p = 0.000), suggesting that video-based media can be effectively utilized as an educational tool for promoting oral and dental health. This activity demonstrates that video-based education can enhance students’ understanding of proper oral and dental hygiene practices and dental caries prevention. Video media may therefore serve as an innovative and practical health education method that can be implemented sustainably through the School Health Unit (Usaha Kesehatan Sekolah/UKS) and health promotion programs conducted by community health centers (puskesmas).