Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of oral hygiene promoting program (OHPP) using a smartphone endomicroscope among students in elementary schools in Bangkok, Thailand, to enable their oral hygiene maintenance and to compare oral health outcomes in the intervention program between the experimental and control groups.Design/methodology/approachThis is a quasi-experimental research study consisting of two groups, a pretest, a posttest and a follow-up design. The student sample consisted of 59 fifth graders who matched the study criteria on medium and low levels of teeth brushing skills. There were 29 experimental group participants who completed the six-week OHPP using a smartphone endomicroscope. Another 30 participants formed the control group involved in the ordinary oral health education program. The comparison data for oral health behaviors (knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP)) and oral hygiene were statistically analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).FindingsResults indicated that the experimental group exhibited higher oral health behaviors regarding KAPs and oral hygiene related to teeth cleanliness and gum health than the control group in the postexperimental and follow-up phases. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with regard to tongue cleanliness.Originality/valueThe students maintain their own oral hygiene due to a provision of activities related to KAP concerns. The instrument helped the students to find tooth decay and dental plaque associated with teeth cleanliness after brushing their teeth.
Highlights
Oral hygiene problems affect the physical, mental and emotional health influencing in childhood, which is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in adulthood [1]
The objective of this research was to examine the effectiveness of the oral hygiene promoting program (OHPP) using a smartphone endomicroscope among students in elementary schools in Bangkok to enable their oral hygiene maintenance and to compare oral health outcomes in the intervention program between the experimental and control groups
For tongue cleanliness (Wilk’ Lambda 5 0.38, F 5 46.10, p 5 0.852) at p > 0.05, it can be concluded that the influence of the developed program on oral hygiene concerning tongue cleanliness showed no statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups at the level of significance 0.05. This OHPP was purposely provided for fifth-grade elementary students in order to improve oral health behaviors and oral hygiene regarding KAP on avoiding dental plaque, gingivitis and tongue coating compared to the control group who received an ordinary oral health education program
Summary
Oral hygiene problems affect the physical, mental and emotional health influencing in childhood, which is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in adulthood [1]. In Bangkok, first graders had a high level of caries in primary teeth (55%) while gingivitis affected the main group of children (76.8%) [2, 3] These incidences devastated the overall mental health of students exerting an influence on students’ daily life in terms of social skills and self-confidence as the main factor impacting long-term quality of life [4]. According to a prior study in Thailand, 66.4% of students aged 11–12 years old were exposed to cavity problems (mean DMFT 5 2.17). Students in this age group brushed daily in the morning at a rate of 75.3%, after school lunch at 51.0%, and 44.4% brushed before bedtime. Other models of education should be considered based on the psychology or social learning theories, which can change the individual behaviors and sustain them for a longer period [6]
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