# Integrating multimedia training and microteaching in school-based oral health promotion: a mixed-methods study among primary school teachers and students in Gorontalo, Indonesia

## TL;DR

A study in Indonesia found that combining multimedia training with microteaching improves teachers' ability to promote oral health, leading to better student outcomes.

## Contribution

The study introduces a combined multimedia and microteaching approach to enhance oral health education in resource-limited schools.

## Key findings

- Both intervention groups improved students' oral hygiene and dental health, with the multimedia+microteaching group showing better results.
- Teachers in the combined intervention showed greater confidence and instructional improvements.
- The approach is replicable and scalable for low-resource educational settings.

## Abstract

Oral health is an essential component of overall well-being. Despite ongoing public health education efforts, childhood dental caries remain highly prevalent in Indonesia, particularly in resource-limited school settings. Teachers play a strategic role as change agents in shaping children's oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; however, their capacity to deliver effective oral health education is often underdeveloped. This study evaluated the impact of multimedia-assisted training and microteaching on teachers' facilitation, and its subsequent effect on students' oral health status and oral health–related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed involving 582 primary school students and 16 teachers from public elementary schools in Pohuwato District, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. Teachers were allocated into two intervention groups: (1) multimedia training combined with microteaching (n = 8) and (2) multimedia training only (n = 8). Students' oral health outcomes were assessed over a six-month period using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S). Teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with teachers in the multimedia + microteaching group.

Both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in students' OHI-S and DMFT scores (p < 0.05), with the multimedia + microteaching group showing superior outcomes. Teachers’ knowledge and instructional performance improved significantly following the intervention (p < 0.01). Qualitative findings indicated that microteaching enhanced teachers' confidence, consistency, and creativity in delivering oral health education, contributing to more sustained behavioral change among students.

Integrating multimedia training with microteaching strengthens teachers' pedagogical competence and leads to measurable improvements in students' oral hygiene and oral health–related behaviors. This school-based approach offers a replicable and scalable model for oral health promotion in low-resource educational settings.