<![CDATA[Oral diseases among school-aged children remain highly prevalent, partly due to limited early detection skills and low oral health literacy. Effective promotive and preventive strategies in school-based health education require educational media that are accessible, engaging, and developmentally appropriate for children. Kartu Gigiku ” is a visual educational tool designed to facilitate students' independent recognition of oral disease. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of “Kartu Gigiku” in improving elementary school students’ ability to detect oral diseases compared with conventional health education methods. This study was conducted at State Elementary School 01 Pondok Ranji, South Tangerang, Indonesia using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design. A total of 200 elementary school students were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 100) or a control group (n = 100). The intervention group received education using “Kartu Gigiku ”, while the control group received conventional health education. Oral disease detection ability was assessed using a validated and reliable observation checklist. Data were analyzed using the Mc Nemar and Chi-square test with a significance level of p < 0.05. The intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in detection ability, increasing from 61% at pretest to 78% at posttest (p = 0.014). In contrast,the control group showed no significant change, remaining at 61% in both the pretest and posttest assessments (p = 0.821). Posttest comparisons revealed significantly higher detection ability in the intervention group than in the control group (p = 0.014). The “Kartu Gigiku ” effectively enhances elementary school students’ ability to independently detect oral cavity and may serve as a valuable adjunct to school-based oral health education programs. Its integration into the School Dental Health Program (UKGS) may strengthen early detection efforts and promote oral health awareness among elementary school children. Keywords: Dental Caries, Health Education, Oral Health, Students]]>
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