Impact of an educational intervention on oral health in children aged 8 to 11 years

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health knowledge and practices of oral hygiene before and after educational interventions among students between the ages 8 and 11, at the “José María Velasco Ibarra” school in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Good oral hygiene practices are achieved through health education, which should start in early childhood and should be reinforced at school, because in their early years children will adopt appropriate healthful habits that will last throughout their lives. Materials and methods: This is a quasi-experimental study whose sample is made up of 36 students aged 8 to 11 years from the “José María Velasco Ibarra” school in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. To develop the research project, the questionnaire of the Ministry of Public Health was applied: “Dental knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) surveys, aimed towards schoolchildren”, as well as the Löe & Silness index. Results: When we performed the Löe & Silness plaque index the following results were reported: good hygiene 13.8%, regular hygiene 61.1% and poor hygiene 25%. After the educational intervention the following results were obtained: children with good hygiene 72.2%, regular hygiene 22.2% and poor hygiene 5.6%. Conclusion: Educational interventions have a positive effect on students´ oral hygiene as plaque reduction is achieved as children improve their oral health knowledge.