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Background Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) are essential contributors to Thailand’s primary healthcare system, promoting and supporting community wellbeing. However, little is known about their oral health practices in the community or the factors that influence them. This study examines the determinants of VHVs’ oral health practices in the Thai context. Methods This cross-sectional study, conducted in May 2024 among 319 VHVs in Chiang Mai Province, using a two-stage cluster sampling, used a validated questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, perceived roles, social support, work motivation and oral health practices. Associations between predictors and practices were analysed using stepwise multiple regression with model fit considered. Results Knowledge and attitudes were at a moderate level, whereas role perception, social support, work motivation and oral health practices were at a high level. The most influential factor associated with the performance was high work motivation (β = 0.898), followed by educational attainment at the diploma/vocational certificate level (β = 0.050), higher number of households under their responsibility (β = 0.051), high attitude (β = 0.056) and occupation in trade/private business (β = 0.045). Together, these variables accounted for 85.4% of the variance in oral health practices among VHVs. Conclusions This study identifies key predictors of oral health practices among VHVs, offering actionable insights for national and local health authorities to enhance training, policy and support systems. Future research should explore additional contextual and structural factors through qualitative or mixed-methods approaches, and develop tailored frameworks to strengthen the effectiveness and sustainability of VHV-led oral health interventions.
Jilin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.