Dental health education is intended to improve both knowledge and behavioral practices. Educational media used in health promotion include PowerPoint presentations and the snakes and ladders game. School-based oral health programs that apply various instructional approaches have been shown to effectively improve students’ oral health, as well as their related attitudes and behaviors. This study aimed to examine the effect of implementing the snakes and ladders game following PowerPoint-based health education on the knowledge of fourth-grade students.

This study utilizes a Quasi-experimental design featuring a Pretest and Post-Test control group. The study included 100 students who were divided into two groups. The intervention group consisted of 50 fourth-grade students from MIN 3 Bireuen who received dental health education through PowerPoint presentations accompanied by a snakes and ladders game, while The control group comprised 50 fourth-grade students—26 from MIN 9 and 24 from MIN 19—who received only PowerPoint-based health education. All groups participated in four sessions of dental health education and were assessed using knowledge questionnaires at pretest, post-test I (one month after the intervention), and post-test II (three months after the intervention).

There was a difference in knowledge between the intervention and control groups from post-test I to post-test II, as well as from pretest to post-test II, with statistically significant results (p = 0.008 and p = 0.002). The knowledge scores in the intervention group increased significantly compared to those in the control group.

The snakes and ladders game, following health education delivered through PowerPoint media, enhances the knowledge of fourth-grade student.