The impact of a rural school-based oral health intervention among primary schoolchildren in Armenia

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Oral health (OH) interventions are shown to be effective in improving children’s OH status and behavior. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based OH intervention combined with OH educational activities on rural schoolchildren’s OH status and behavior in a rural setting in Armenia. Methods The study population were primary schoolchildren of Mrgashat village, Armavir province, Armenia, and their parents. The intervention included sealant application to eligible permanent molars of children and fluoridization of their teeth twice a year over a two-year period. Educational activities included a training session for children and their parents, and distribution of educational materials among them. Baseline (BL) and follow-up (FU) assessments were conducted before and after the intervention (in 2022 and 2024) to evaluate its impact. Both assessments included clinical examination of children’s OH status by calculating their DMFT/dmft index, and telephone survey among parents on OH knowledge and behavior. The changes in DMFT/dmft index and OH knowledge and behavior scores were measured using paired t-test. Results Overall, 94 children and their parents participated in both BL and FU assessments. There was no significant change in the parental OH knowledge score: 77.4% (SD 14.0) at the BL and 78.7% (SD 13.2) at the FU. Yet, children’s OH behavior score increased significantly: from 44.9% (SD 18.2) at the BL to 60.0% (SD 15.4) at the FU (p < 0.001). Children’s DMFT/dmft index also improved significantly: from 7.31 at the BL to 5.09 at the FU assessment (p < 0.001). Conclusions The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the OH intervention in improving children’s OH status and behavior. Therefore, we recommend expansion of the intervention with inclusion of more rural sites in Armenia, and targeting primary schoolchildren, considering the importance of timely preventive interventions and early development of healthy habits for better OH later in life. Key messages • Oral health interventions among primary schoolchildren covering awareness raising and carries prevention activities result in positive changes in children’s oral health habits and teeth health. • Expansion of this type of interventions with inclusion of new rural sites and conduction of further assessments to explore the long-term effects of such interventions are recommended.