The Use of Pop-Up Books Successfully Improved Oral and Dental Health Knowledge Among Preschool Children

Abstract

Dental and oral health play a crucial role in supporting children’s growth, nutrition, and overall well‑being. Preschool children are particularly vulnerable to dental problems due to limited independence in maintaining oral hygiene and frequent consumption of sugary foods. Innovative educational media are needed to improve oral health knowledge at an early age. This study aimed to determine the effect of Pop‑Up Book media on dental and oral health knowledge among preschool children at RA Al‑Ikhlas Tuban. A pre‑experimental one‑group pretest–posttest design was employed involving 43 preschool children selected through total sampling. Respondents completed a pretest, received oral health education using Pop‑Up Book media, and completed a posttest seven days later. Knowledge was measured using an ordinal scale and categorized as good, fair, or poor. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed‑Rank Test with a significance level of p < 0.05. Before the intervention, most respondents had poor knowledge (79%), with none achieving a good category. After the Pop‑Up Book education, 81% of respondents reached the good category, while only 5% remained in the poor category. The median knowledge score increased from 40.6 (7.6–74.6) to 100 (53.8–100). The Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (p = 0.000). In conclusion, pop‑up book media significantly improved dental and oral health knowledge among preschool children. interactive visual media are effective tools for early childhood oral health education.

Keywords: pop‑up book; oral health education; preschool children’ dental knowledge; pre‑experimental design