Engaging Pedagogy: Evaluating an interactive oral health education for preschoolers in Indonesia

Introduction: Dental caries remains a major public health problem among preschool children in Indonesia, with prevalence exceeding 76% according to national data. The low level of treatment and limited early oral health education exacerbate the negative impact of caries on children’s growth and development. Community service project aimed to improve toothbrushing knowledge and skills among children aged 2–5 years through an edutainment-based approach using multimedia storytelling and an interactive board game. Method: The educational program was conducted in a private preschool in Surabaya, involving 106 children. The intervention consisted of two sessions: multimedia storytelling featuring tooth characters and healthy versus unhealthy food, and an interactive board activity where children categorized food items as tooth-friendly or harmful. Evaluation was carried out by observing children’s toothbrushing performance on a typodont model using a standardized checklist. Results: Showed progressive improvement in brushing proficiency with age, ranging from 71% in 2-year-olds to 90% in 5-year-olds. Gender differences were also observed, with girls performing better (85%) than boys (81%). The findings demonstrate that non-didactic, play-based learning methods such as storytelling and interactive games are more effective than traditional approaches in promoting oral health behaviors among young children. Conclusion: This program may serve as a model for enhancing the Indonesian School Dental Health Program (UKGS) with age-appropriate and engaging educational strategies.