School-Based Educational Intervention to Improve Children's Oral Health-Related Knowledge

Health Promot Pract. 2015 Jul;16(4):571-82. doi: 10.1177/1524839914560568. Epub 2014 Dec 1.

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.

Keywords: children; oral health education; primary care dentist; schools.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Child
  • Child Behavior / psychology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Dental Devices, Home Care / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Education / methods*
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Health Promotion / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Oral Health / education*
  • Oral Hygiene / education*
  • Oral Hygiene / psychology
  • Oral Hygiene / statistics & numerical data
  • Parents
  • Preventive Dentistry
  • Schools
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tooth Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Toothbrushing / statistics & numerical data
  • United Kingdom