Holly Blake1, Bhupinder Dawett2, Paul Leighton3, Laura Rose-Brady2, Chris Deery4. 1. University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK holly.blake@nottingham.ac.uk. 2. Hafren House Dental Practice, Alfreton, Derbyshire, UK. 3. University of Nottingham, Division of Primary Care, Nottingham, UK. 4. School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a brief oral health promotion intervention delivered in schools by a primary care dental practice, aimed at changing oral health care knowledge and oral health-related behaviors in children. DESIGN: Cohort study with pretest-posttest design. SETTING: Three primary schools. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty children (aged 9-12 years). INTERVENTION: Children received a 60-minute theory-driven classroom-based interactive educational session delivered by a dental care professional and received take-home literature on oral health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All children completed a questionnaire on oral health-related knowledge and self-reported oral health-related behaviors before, immediately after, and 6 weeks following the intervention. RESULTS: Children's dental knowledge significantly improved following the intervention, with improvement evident at immediate follow-up and maintained 6 weeks later. Significantly more children reported using dental floss 6 weeks after the intervention compared with baseline. No significant differences were detected in toothbrushing or dietary behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: School-based preventative oral health education delivered by primary care dental practices can generate short-term improvements in children's knowledge of oral health and some aspects of oral hygiene behavior. Future research should engage parents/carers and include objective clinical and behavioral outcomes in controlled study designs.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a brief oral health promotion intervention delivered in schools by a primary care dental practice, aimed at changing oral health care knowledge and oral health-related behaviors in children. DESIGN: Cohort study with pretest-posttest design. SETTING: Three primary schools. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty children (aged 9-12 years). INTERVENTION: Children received a 60-minute theory-driven classroom-based interactive educational session delivered by a dental care professional and received take-home literature on oral health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All children completed a questionnaire on oral health-related knowledge and self-reported oral health-related behaviors before, immediately after, and 6 weeks following the intervention. RESULTS:Children's dental knowledge significantly improved following the intervention, with improvement evident at immediate follow-up and maintained 6 weeks later. Significantly more children reported using dental floss 6 weeks after the intervention compared with baseline. No significant differences were detected in toothbrushing or dietary behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: School-based preventative oral health education delivered by primary care dental practices can generate short-term improvements in children's knowledge of oral health and some aspects of oral hygiene behavior. Future research should engage parents/carers and include objective clinical and behavioral outcomes in controlled study designs.
Authors: María López; Irene Alcoceba; María-José Castro; María-José Cao; Sara García; Manuel Frutos; José-María Jiménez Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-23 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Sandra R Graça; Teresa S Albuquerque; Henrique S Luis; Victor A Assunção; Sebastian Malmqvist; Marian Cuculescu; Oana Slusanschi; Gunnar Johannsen; Atena Galuscan; Angela C Podariu; Annsofi Johannsen Journal: J Int Soc Prev Community Dent Date: 2019-09-30