Evaluation of a 7-year school-based community dental hygiene programme in Portugal by high school teachers.

Objectives: To obtain high school teachers evaluation of a Community Dental Hygiene programme, developed as part of a clinical trial designed to assess the safety of low-level mercury exposure from amalgam restorations.

Methods: A questionnaire to assess programme evaluation, personal opinion on programme relevance and satisfaction with activities was distributed among teachers. It had a total of 22 questions organized into three groups.

Results: A total of 25 questionnaires were obtained from teachers who participated in the programme. Ninety-two per cent of the respondents had a positive opinion concerning the existence of the programme. Eighty-eight per cent of the teachers believed that the programme changed student's knowledge about dental hygiene. Ninety-two per cent of teachers supported the existence of the programme and 88% of them disagreed with a statement that participation in the programme was a waste of time. Teachers who did not collaborate actively with dental hygiene activities indicated belief that the programme affected school activities (P = 0.003). Teachers who actively participated in the programme believe that dental hygiene activities were important for students (P = 0.005).

Conclusions: Teacher evaluations of this kind of programme are critical for the development of school-based Dental Hygiene Education programmes. Teachers believe that Dental Hygiene Education is crucial for students' well-being.