Necessidades e percepções de professores da educação infantil de Aracaju/SE sobre saúde bucal: pesquisa de opinião e desenvolvimento de curso virtual de capacitação

Abstract

Dental caries remains the most prevalent chronic non-communicable disease in childhood, negatively impacting children's health, well-being, and development. In Aracaju, Sergipe, data from the SB Brasil 2023 survey revealed a high proportion of untreated caries among five-year-old children; this scenario, combined with low oral health team coverage in Primary Health Care, exacerbates challenges regarding the continuity of preventive actions in the school setting. In this context, early childhood education teachers are key players in promoting oral health, despite facing limitations such as a lack of training, a lack of confidence in their technical knowledge, and a scarcity of pedagogical resources. This study aimed to survey public early childhood education teachers in Aracaju to identify their needs, perceptions, barriers, and expectations regarding oral health promotion in schools. It was an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study using a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach and a structured electronic questionnaire. Forty-one teachers participated, recruited via non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Quantitative data underwent descriptive analysis and non-parametric testing, while qualitative responses were subjected to thematic content analysis. The results highlighted a lack of institutional oral health training, teacher uncertainty regarding technical knowledge, and structural and logistical difficulties in implementing preventive actions, as well as a need for accessible teaching materials and practical methodologies applicable to daily school life. Participants showed high interest in a self-paced virtual course, particularly one covering healthy eating, tooth-brushing techniques, playful activities, and family engagement strategies. Based on these findings, a theoretical-methodological proposal was developed for a self-paced virtual course designed to train early childhood education teachers in oral health, grounded in the needs identified by the study and current scientific evidence. The technical-technological product is expected to contribute to enhancing oral health literacy, strengthening intersectoral collaboration between health and education, and ensuring the continuity of preventive practices in the school environment, thereby fostering health promotion within the context of the Unified Health System (SUS). This master's capstone project is an outcome of the stricto sensu Professional Master's Program in Family Health (PROFSAÚDE).