Effectiveness of Reinforced Oral Health Education on the Oral Hygiene Status of 9–12-year-old Primary Schoolchildren: A Follow-up Study

Abstract

Abstract Background: In the society, school is a significant formal unit where implementation of health programs can help in improving children’s educational and health status. The impact of repeated reinforcement of oral health education on schoolchildren can provide substantial evidence for policymaker. Thus, a follow-up study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of reinforced oral health education on the oral hygiene status of primary schoolchildren. Materials and Methods: The present follow-up study was conducted among primary schoolchildren in Mangalore, Karnataka, India for a duration of 8 months from January 2015 to August 2015. Multistage sampling method was used. The primary investigator collected data using an Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). Impact of oral health education repeated reinforcement on retention of proper behavior among schoolchildren toward oral health and oral hygiene practices. Friedman test for comparison among different time interval. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for intragroup comparison. Results: Nearly 83.3% of study subjects were using toothbrush and toothpaste to clean their teeth. About 88.1% of study subjects had never visited a dentist ever. A statistically significant difference was observed at three different time intervals for debris, calculus, and OHI-S score (P < 0.05). Discussion: On intragroup comparison between three time intervals, study results reported a significant improvement in oral hygiene at 4 months and 8 months (P < 0.01). It shows that reinforcement of oral health education at regular time intervals had a significant positive impact on oral hygiene status.