| dc.description.abstract | Dental caries is a common health problem among school-aged children, with a national prevalence of 49.9% among those aged 5–9 years. The Indonesian government has launched the Indonesia Sehat Bebas Karies 2030 program and strengthened the School Dental Health Effort (UKGS), which is integrated into the School Health Program (UKS) through screening and follow-up examinations at community health centers (puskesmas). However, the follow-up examination coverage remains low. In Karo District, only 25.4% of children completed follow-up examinations in 2023, dropping to 4.5% in 2024. This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the utilization of follow-up dental and oral health services after screening among elementary school children in Karo District. This research is an analytic survey using a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 232 mothers of first-grade students (aged 6–8 years) diagnosed with dental caries, selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using validated and reliable questionnaires and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. The results showed that the utilization rate of follow-up dental and oral health services after screening was 24.6%, far below the expected target (100%). The analysis revealed that predisposing characteristics (education), enabling factors (time availability and mother–child communication), and need factors had a significant influence on the utilization of follow-up services (p < 0.005; Exp(β) = 2.089), whereas knowledge as a predisposing factor showed no significant effect (p = 0.455). Predisposing, enabling, and need factors significantly affect the utilization of follow-up dental and oral health services after screening among elementary school children. Strengthening oral health education, empowering families, and optimizing the roles of Puskesmas and schools are essential to improve service utilization after screening. | en_US |
