Developing a Paediatric Dental Caries Prevention Programme for Primary Schools in Kaduna State

School-based preventive dentistry programmes are among the most cost-effective interventions for reducing childhood caries burden, and designing one adapted to Kaduna State's demographic and resource context addresses a critical public health need. This study designed a paediatric dental caries prevention programme for public primary schools in Kaduna North and Chikun Local Government Areas, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. A professional programme design methodology was employed, drawing on a school dental health needs assessment of 15 schools and 600 children, structured consultations with 12 school health nurses and 8 paediatric dental specialists, and benchmarking against the WHO Global School Health Initiative and comparable Nigerian and Kenyan school dental programmes. The needs assessment confirmed DMFT of 1.96, high sugar snack consumption (twice or more daily in 67.3 percent), and near-total absence of dental sealants in the study population. The programme designed includes three integrated components: a termly tooth brushing drill with fluoridated toothpaste delivered by trained teachers, biannual fluoride varnish application by visiting dental therapists, and a dietary counselling component for school canteen operators. Programme materials are designed in both English and Hausa. Expert review by nine paediatric dental and school health specialists confirmed the programme's design adequacy. The study recommends Kaduna State Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health joint adoption with UNICEF support for material procurement, targeting all 47 government primary schools in the two LGAs.

Keywords: caries prevention programme, paediatric dentistry, primary schools, Kaduna State, fluoride varnish