none 10.31254/dentistry.2025.10305 BioMed Research Publishers BioMed Research Publishers 16195 191232954 314763 20260308052548514 10.31254 2026-03-08T05:25:54Z 2026-03-08T05:25:52Z 0 International Journal of Dentistry Research Int J Dentistry Res 25813218 10.31254/dentistry https://www.dentistryscience.com/ 01 17 2026 10 3 Mervyn Turton School of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Oral Biological Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2449-9427 Lilian E. Mkonyi Department of Orthodontics, Pedodontics and Community Dentistry; Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8193-9914 Nathan Lungu Department of Medicine and Oral Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1638-5822 Russell Turton Department of History, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8895-5423 Background: School teachers can influence the oral health behavior of children since children spend most of their time at school. However, only a teacher with adequate oral health knowledge and practices can influence pupils’ appropriate oral health care. Objective: To assess oral health knowledge and practices of the primary school teachers in Mzuzu city, Malawi. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 382 primary school teachers, from 13 schools using a closed ended structured questionnaire. Results: Majority of teachers (81.9 %) and (91.7%) rightly indicated tooth decay is caused by bacteria and sugar respectively. Eighty-six percent and 84.3% of the teachers knew that brushing with fluoridated toothpaste and limiting sugar intake prevent dental caries respectively. Most teachers (92.7%) used toothbrushes and toothpaste for maintaining oral hygiene. About 63.6% of teachers brushed twice or more a day and only a few used dental floss. Regular dental visit was significantly associated with dental floss use (p=0.002) and with the knowledge that “gum disease is a bacterial infection” (p=0.0002).Over 98% reported to have received oral health education, however only 30% of teachers reported to have attended in service training for oral health education. Conclusion: The finding of this study is that schoolteachers had partial knowledge of oral health and their oral health practice was inadequate. Mass media was the major source (50%) of oral health information. This observation suggests that primary teachers need tailor made oral health education program and organized training to enhance their oral health knowledge and perfect their oral practices. 01 17 2026 96 101 1 10.31254/biomed-crossmark-policy www.biomedresearch.org false 10.31254/dentistry.2025.10305 https://www.dentistryscience.com/IJDR_2025103_05.pdf