Association Between Primary School Children's Speaking Attitudes and Oral Health Indicators

Association Between Primary School Children's Speaking Attitudes and Oral Health Indicators: A Cross-Sectional Study

his cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the relationship between primary school children's speaking attitudes and oral health indicators, including dental caries, malocclusion, and tooth loss. A total of 184 children aged 7-12 years participated. Sociodemographic data, oral examination findings, and Speaking Attitudes Scale for Children (SASC) scores were collected. The study seeks to identify whether oral health problems influence children's self-perceived communication confidence and to emphasize the importance of integrating oral health awareness into early educational settings.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dental Caries
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Observational Assessment

Detailed Description

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted to assess the association between primary school children's speaking attitudes and their oral health status. The study included 184 children aged 7-12 years who underwent intraoral examinations to record dental caries (dmft/DMFT indices), malocclusion, and tooth loss. The Speaking Attitudes Scale for Children (SASC) was used to evaluate children's attitudes toward their speaking skills. Data were analyzed to explore correlations between SASC scores and oral health indicators. The findings are expected to provide insight into how oral health conditions, such as untreated caries or malocclusion, may influence children's communication confidence and social participation. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Erciyes University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Approval No: 2024/211).

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 184

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Kayseri, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Erciyes University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study included 184 primary school children aged 7 to 12 years who were attending public schools in Turkey. Both male and female children were included. Participants represented a generally healthy pediatric population without chronic medical conditions.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 7-12 years enrolled in primary schools Children who are native Turkish speakers Children without systemic or developmental disorders Children and parents who provided informed consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

• hildren with speech or hearing impairments Children with fixed orthodontic appliances Children with missing permanent first molars due to extraction Children with a history of craniofacial anomalies or trauma

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Single Observational Group; All participants were included in a single observational group to evaluate the relationship between speaking attitudes and oral health indicators in primary school children.	Other: Observational Assessment; This is an observational study with no intervention applied. Data were collected through clinical oral examinations and self-administered questionnaires assessing speaking attitudes and oral health-related variables.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Association between speaking attitude scores and oral health indicators		Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional study)
ssociation between speaking attitude scores and oral health indicators	The primary outcome was the relationship between speaking attitude scores (measured by the Speaking Attitude Scale for Primary School Children) and oral health indicators such as dental caries experience (DMFT/dmft), malocclusion, and tooth loss. Higher speaking attitude scores indicate more positive speaking attitudes.	Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional study)
Association between speaking attitude scores and oral health indicators	The primary outcome was the relationship between speaking attitude scores (measured by the Speaking Attitude Scale for Primary School Children) and oral health indicators such as dental caries experience (DMFT/dmft), malocclusion, and tooth loss. Higher speaking attitude scores indicate more positive speaking attitudes.	Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional study)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Relationship between oral health status and sociodemographic factors	Secondary analysis included evaluating the association between children's oral health indicators (DMFT/dmft, malocclusion, tooth loss) and sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and parental education level.	Single assessment at baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ezgi Turkyilmaz

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): January 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): December 9, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Children; Oral Health; Dental Caries; Malocclusion; Primary School; Speech Attitude
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Stomatognathic Diseases; Tooth Diseases; Tooth Demineralization; Malocclusion; Dental Caries
• Other Study ID Numbers: ERU-PEDO-2025-01; 2024/211 (Other Identifier: ERCIYES UNIVERSITY)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No