Oral Health Education Program Research Articles

Knowledge, awareness, and practices in relation to potentially malignant disorders of the oral cavity in a rural area of Western Maharashtra, India

Background: It has been well established by researchers that virtually all oral cancers are preceded by visible clinical changes in the oral mucosa mostly in the form of white or red patch. The prevention and early detection of such potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) have the potential of not only decreasing the incidence but also in improving the survival of those who develop oral cancer. The lack of knowledge and awareness of public about the signs, symptoms, and risk factors is responsible for the diagnostic delay in identifying the PMDs. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and practices in relation to the early detection of PMDs. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional, community-based survey where 600 participants were enrolled in the study. A semi-structured preset, pretested questionnaire was used to elicit information about tobacco-associated oral habits, their knowledge and awareness toward PMDs, and to elicit information regarding practices in relation to these deleterious oral effects. The results obtained were statistically analyzed using the SPSS (version 11) software and Chi-square test. Results: This study showed that there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about the early signs and common symptoms of PMDs. The level of knowledge and awareness was directly proportional to the education level, whereas it was inversely proportional to the prevalence of risk habit. Conclusion: Lack of knowledge and awareness of early signs of oral cancer and oral PMDs was observed in studied population. As their general awareness about oral cancer and oral PMDs was good, a redirection of focus is warranted toward implementing intensive oral health education programs for the recognition of risk habits, warning signs of PMDs, and early detection of oral cancer.

Caries Experience in Preschool Children over a 10-year Period.

To analyse the caries experience in preschool children at two moments 10 years apart. Two cross-sectional epidemiological studies, the first in 2006 (n = 275) and the second in 2016 (n = 258), were carried out with samples composed of children from 3 to 6 years of age. All children were enrolled in the municipal schools of basic education of a municipality in northwest São Paulo state, and they attended an annual and continuous oral health education programme. Caries experience was calculated for deciduous and permanent teeth using the dmft and DMFT indices, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Statistical analysis was performed using Epi info 7.1 and Bioestat 5.0 software. In 2006, the mean dmft index was 1.88, with 7.59% of teeth having caries experience. In 2016, the mean dmft index was 0.99, with 5.15% of teeth showing caries experience. In contrast, in 2006, the mean DMFT index was 0.08 (n = 509), with 4.1% of teeth with caries experience; in 2016, the mean DMFT index was 0.06 (n = 381) and 3.6% of teeth showed caries experience. The proportions of teeth with caries experience differed statistically significantly (p = 0.435). In the last study, 78.2% of the children were caries free, below the WHO target for 2020. The Significant Caries Index (SiC Index) was 0.2. A decline of caries experience in the deciduous dentition was found in the study population.

Prevalence of dental caries, oral health awareness and treatment-seeking behavior of elderly population in rural Maharashtra.

There have been numerous studies of oral health status of school children and young population; however, similar studies in elderly population in India are lacking. With advances in medical science and consequent increase in life expectancy, elderly population is on the rise and is a subject of growing concern for public health policy. Hence, an attempt was made to study factors influencing decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index, oral health awareness, and dental treatment-seeking behavior of elderly population. A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted between September 2014 and December 2014 in villages in rural Maharashtra. Sociodemographic and health-related information were collected from 352 participants 60 years of age and above in 10 villages. Prevalence of dental caries was 76.4% in a study population with median DMFT score of 12 with interquartile range of 7-22. The majority of the participants cleaned their teeth with fingers using charcoal and mishri. Only 17.2% participants used toothbrush. About 39% participants had experienced dental pain, of which majority did not visit dentist. The median DMFT index who used toothbrush and toothpaste was significantly less when compared with participants who did not use tooth brush and tooth paste. The majority of the participants had one or more missing teeth, but only 2.2% were using dentures. There is an urgent need for comprehensive oral health educational programs, and accessible and affordable oral health services to be provided to rural community.

Oral Health Education Improved Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Plaque Scores in Thai Third-grade Students: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

To compare students' knowledge, attitudes towards oral health, and plaque scores after oral health education sessions delivered by trained schoolteachers vs the control group. The participants, comprising third-grade students in Amphoe Meuang, Nakhonphanom province (N = 435), were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 216) and a control group (n = 219). Baseline data of the students' oral health knowledge, attitudes, and plaque scores were collected at the beginning of the study. The experimental group was given oral health education sessions by trained schoolteachers using a specifically designed student handbook, while the control group did not receive extra oral health education other than the national curriculum. The immediate post-test knowledge was evaluated after each session, and plaque scores were determined after the brushing session. After the oral health education programme ended, the experimental and control groups performed a monthly toothbrushing activity for 2 months. Final assessment of the students' knowledge, attitudes, and plaque score was done at the 3-month follow-up. The experimental group's oral health knowledge statistically significantly improved immediately after each session and was still statistically significant during the following three months. This improvement was also statistically significantly higher compared with the control group. The attitudes towards oral health care, foods related to caries, and dental visit improved. The plaque score of the experimental group was statistically significantly lower immediately post-brushing, but was not statistically significantly different at the 3-month follow-up compared with baseline. The children receiving oral health education provided by trained schoolteachers had statistically significantly greater oral health knowledge and more positive attitudes towards oral health than the children who had not received the programme. No statistically significant differences in plaque scores were found after 3 months.

Comparison of Two School-Based Oral Health Education Programs in 9-Year-Old Children.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two school-based oral health education (OHE) programs on the oral health knowledge and behavior and oral hygiene of 9-year-old children in Turkey. The study included 1,053 school children aged 9 years in Aydin, Turkey. This study was a prospective, two-arm, and parallel-group clinical trial between two different OHE programs. The dentist group received one lecture on OHE given by dentists in the classroom. The teacher group had a similar lecture given by school teachers, including supporting materials which were available throughout the academic year. Oral health knowledge and behavior were evaluated with a questionnaire at baseline, and then at 1 and 6 months. In total, 110 students were randomly selected to undergo a plaque accumulation assessment according to the Silness-Löe Index at baseline and 1 month later to determine the effects of the education programs on oral hygiene. At baseline, tooth-brushing frequency was similar in the study groups. Compared with baseline, the frequency of brushing increased significantly after 1 and 6 months in both groups ( p < .001). Teacher education was more effective for teaching correct brushing techniques ( p < .001). A significant decrease in plaque accumulation has been evaluated in both study groups at the 1-month examination after the education session ( p < .05). Both OHE programs were found to generate improvements in knowledge and behavior of children on oral health and plaque control in the short term.

The impact of an Oral Health Education (OHE) program by teachers and mothers on adolescents' oral health

Background: Adolescence is one of the most dynamic stages of human development. However, Oral health is an integral part of public health, significantly impacts on the quality of life. OHE program is an important issue that should be given to them. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral health outcomes on adolescents' oral health by teachers and mothers Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in seven schools of Diyala - Baquba city. This 14-weeks duration study assessed the effectiveness of school OHE program on oral hygiene status, gingival health, and halitosis assessment of 80, 12 year-old, both genders of school adolescents. From the selected schools, one group was supervised by the teachers and the other was supervised by the mothers. General and oral health assessments were evaluated using a questionnaire. A three days training workshop was organized for the teachers and mothers. Oral hygiene, gingival health, and halitosis assessment were assessed using plaque indices, gingival indices and halitosis scores respectively. the resulting data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Plaque, gingival and halitosis scores reductions were highly significant. Results recorded gingival index, and halitosis scores were lower among the teacher-led group compared to the mother-led group. Statistically, high significant differences were found (P&lt; 0.01).But there is no significant differences were noticed between the groups for plaque index (p&gt;0.05). Conclusions: The OHE program was effective in teacher-led group than mother-led group in improving oral hygiene status, gingival health and halitosis scores of adolescents.

Basic Oral Health Care Knowledge of Primary Health Workers Appraisal for Oral Health Education Program

Basic Oral Health Care Knowledge of Primary Health Workers Appraisal for Oral Health Education Program

일부지역 노인의 구강보건교육 경험과 구강건강행위, 구강건강관리 자기효능감 및 주관적 구강건강수준과의 관련성

Objectives: This study was intended to provide resources for the development and operation of the elderly's oral health education programs by comparing the difference of oral health behavior, oral health care self-efficacy and oral health levels according to their oral health education experiences and by researching the correlation of oral Health Behavior, self-efficacy, subjective oral health level and oral health education experience. Methods: An interview survey using structured questionaries was done on 180 senior citizens older than 65 years old residing in some areas of Gyeonggi-do from April 19 to May 25, 2018. The data was analyzed with Chi-square, t-test, spearman correlation coefficient with the use of SPSS 20.0. Results: 1. Those who are older than 75 years old and have higher levels of education and finance have more experiences of oral health education. 2. Those who have experiences of oral health education brush their teeth more than three times a day, use more oral health care items and get more regular preventive treatments such as oral examination and scaling. 3. As they has experiences of oral health education, their oral health behaviors, oral health care self-efficacy(tooth care, dietary control, regular checkup) and subjective oral health levels are high. Conclusion: It is necessary to try to improve the elderly's oral health levels by motivating the importance of oral health care and changing their oral health behaviors positively with the implement of oral health education on the elderly. Especially, oral health education programs that are operated on the elderly should be planned with practical programs that can cause the change of their oral health behaviors and should be processed to reinforce oral health care self-efficacy. Furthermore, preventive treatments for the elderly such as oral health education, oral examination and scaling should be implemented systematically and continuously by policy.

Educational program to improve quality of life among elderly regarding oral health

BackgroundThe ratio of elderly is rising faster than that of any other age group. The mutual relation between oral health and general health is specially stated among older people. Poor oral health affects negatively the quality of life among elderly. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of educational program on quality of life among elderly regarding oral health. MethodsA quasi-experimental pretest-and-posttest design was utilized in the geriatric social club in Zagazig City. A purposive sample of 75 elderly subjects who fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. Five tools were used as follow: Tool I: A structured interview questionnaire to assess elderly's demographic characteristics, Tool II: Elderly oral health knowledge structured interview questionnaire, Tool III: Elderly oral self-care practices questionnaire and checklist, Tool IV: The Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) For Non –Dental Professional, and Tool V: Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) Short Version. ResultsIt revealed that the participants ' age ranged between 60 and 82 years, with mean 69.25 ± 7.53 years, with more women. Also, the results showed post-program statistically significant improvements in oral health knowledge, oral self-care practices, oral health assessment, and OHRQoL scores (p < 0.001). The follow-up phase showed some decline in improvement but still significantly higher compared to the pre-program levels (p < 0.01). ConclusionThe oral health educational program is effective in improving the elderly's quality of life.

Factors Associated With Access to Dental Services of Adults With Physical Disabilities in Thailand

OBJECTIVES: To determine factors associated with access to dental services of community-dwelling adults with physical disabilities in Thailand.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Center of Independent Living, community club for individuals with disabilities in Pathum Thani province, Thailand, in February 2018. Individual participants were interviewed by a trained interviewer using a structured questionnaire that consisted of (1) questions on demographic characteristics and (2) adapted questions that were based on the modified Penchansky and Thomas’s dimensions of access (accessibility, availability, acceptability, affordability, accommodation and awareness). Enter method of binary logistic regression analysis was used.RESULTS: We included 198 individuals with physical disabilities. Most participants had not attended dental care services in the previous 12 months (77.3%) and gave negative responses for all questions regarding the dimensions of access. Although we did not observe any statistically significant differences in age and the six dimensions of access between participants who had attended at least one dental appointment and those who had not, in multivariate analysis, we found a statistically significant association indicated that participants who had education &amp;lt; primary were 3.35 times more likely to had not attended at least one dental appointment (p = 0.002).CONCLUSION: Our findings have uncovered factors associated with access to dental services of community-dwelling adults with physical disabilities in Thailand. Individuals with physical disabilities are in need of oral health education programs regarding proper oral health behaviors such as regular dental services attendance, appropriate oral hygiene practices and dental care benefits.

Oral health literacy and its determinants among adults in Southeast Iran.

Objectives:The present study aimed to assess oral health literacy level and its related factors among adult patients visiting Kerman Dental School.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kerman Dental School clinic, among the first-time adult visitors. Individuals were selected randomly from volunteers who signed study consent forms. Background information and oral health literacy levels were acquired through the oral health literacy-adult questionnaire. Statistical analysis including the Chi-square test and independent t-test served for statistical evaluation of the study data.Results:Participants were 264 adults which consisted of 72.3% women and the mean age of 37 ± 8 years old. The mean oral health literacy score was 12.07 (out of 17), and 62.5% of the participants had an adequate oral health literacy level. There was a significant relationship between oral health literacy scores with gender, high level of education, and oral health behavior.Conclusion:The study participants had a good level of oral health literacy which can be correlated with their educational status and oral health information sources. An oral health educational program for less educated people is recommended.

Associations between Diet, Dietary and Oral Hygiene Habits with Caries Occurrence and Severity in Children with Autism at Dammam City, Saudi Arabia

AIM:The purpose of the study is to achieve the baseline information of the autistic child’s oral health status about the diet, dietary and hygiene habits. The association of these factors with dental caries were assessed.MATERIAL AND METHODS:The survey was composed of self-administered questionnaires to parents about their children’s’ demographic data followed by questions related to diet, dietary and hygiene habits. This is later followed by oral examination for estimating the decayed, missing and filled [dmft] scores as per WHO norms. The variables are analysed using t-tests and ANOVA. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated for each of the independent variables to examine for autocorrelation.RESULTS:The mean age for the present study is 5.8 years with more predilections of caries in females. The autistic children prefer soft diet and pouch it in oral cavity resulting in increased caries though not significant. Other foods like nuts and pulses confectioneries and soft drinks resulted in increased caries, and our study shows significant relation. Consumption of sugars between meals and increased quantity of sugar per day also increased dental caries with highly significant results in our study. Hygiene habits also made a difference in the occurrence of caries though, in our study, it’s not significant.CONCLUSIONS:The study suggests that the oral health education programs should be conducted for the parents, caregivers and the teachers about the diet, dietary and the hygiene habits and the role they play in maintaining the oral hygiene.

PC266: Individually tailored oral health education programme to improve interdental hygiene: a clinical pilot study

PC266: Individually tailored oral health education programme to improve interdental hygiene: a clinical pilot study

Effectiveness of oral health education intervention among female primary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the effectiveness of oral health intervention on the improvement in knowledge and self-reported oral health behavior among 6–8 year old female primary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methodsThe sample consisted of 1661 girls in primary schools who are 6 to 8-year-olds (first, second and third graders). The children’s level of knowledge was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire that was formulated for this specific age and divided into two parts; oral health knowledge and self-reported oral health behavior. There were seven multiple choice questions and one true/false question with five underlying parts in the questionnaire which contained basic information about oral health knowledge, oral hygiene practices and certain habits that affect teeth. The questionnaires were distributed before and six weeks after implementation of the oral health educational program to measure the level improvement of knowledge regarding oral health among these children. ResultsAll the questions showed statistically significant improvement in knowledge and self-reported behavior in the post intervention group. There was a significant increase in the level of knowledge by 11.24% and level of self-reported behavior by 25% after intervention (P < 0.001). The highest net change in the knowledge due to intervention was noted among third graders (13.3%), whereas for self-reported oral health behavior, it was noted among first graders (28.3%). ConclusionThe results of this study showed that an easy-to-organize and inexpensive school-based intervention can, on a short-term basis, be effective in improving the knowledge and self-reported oral health behavior of children.

창원시와 함안군 지역주민들의 주관적 구강건강인식수준 조사

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of the subjective oral health awareness of local residents in the city of Changwon and Haman county in an effort to lay the foundation for the development of customized local oral health education programs. The 2015 community health survey data were used, and the data from 864 residents in Changwon and from 719 dwellers in Haman county were analyzed. The Changwon residents brushed their teeth after lunch more, received more oral checkups over the past year and had more scaling experience. The Haman residents had more experience of not receiving dental treatment. The subjective health awareness, subjective oral health awareness, chewing difficulty and periodontal health of the Haman dwellers were all worse, and all the levels of awareness were lower among the respondents who were older and who were diagnosed with hypertension and/or diabetes. The respondents who made use of dentures and who didn't brush their teeth after lunch had experience of not receiving dental treatment, and all the levels of health-related awareness were lower among the respondents who didn't receive dental checkups nor had scaling experience. To remedy the situation, efforts should be made to prevent and manage chronic diseases, and the establishment of a system that guarantees regular dental checkups and scaling is required. And the kind of environments that everybody can receive dental treatment when they want should be prepared. In order to change negative awareness, necessary measures should be taken to provide oral health education that is not temporary but sustainable and tailored to local characteristics and different life stages.

Effect of preventive periodontal health education on the oral hygiene of primary school children

Teachers are believed to be the key in any educational program so they could be targeted in order to enhance the effect of dental health education. A sample of eighty eight of first year primary school children aged 6 – 7 years old were randomly chosen and allocated into two group ,control and experimental (with 44 children in each group ). Teaching staff of experimental group were submitted to oral health education program that were conducted for the children in the experimental group only. The total sample were examined using plaque index PLI (silness &amp; Loe) &amp; gingival index GI (Loe &amp; silness). The first examination carried out before the program conduction and the second examination done one month after. A highly significant improvement was recorded among the children in the experimental group after the program conduction. Results of this research support the positive role of the educational programs in the improvement of dental and periodontal health. Therefore, oral health education for school children is an essential activity for promoting, establishing and marinating optimal oral health and preventing oral diseases.

The Role of Oral Health in Complex Emergencies and Disaster Rehabilitation Medicine.

This paper presents an overview of the importance of oral health in complex emergencies. It highlights the importance of maintaining general and oral health in the acute, intermediate and long-term phases of such events which are increasing in frequency. The importance of oral health as an early warning sign for systemic disease and deprivation is also explored along with the crucial role of oral health in maintaining quality of life through adequate nutrition and speech. The overview of oral health in these situations identifies the need for training dental personnel as members of rehabilitation teams that set out to manage these disasters. They can quickly help in improving quality of life for victims by extracting carious and painful teeth as necessary, and also form part of an oral health education program for aid agencies. They can also be the first to identify systemic diseases like HIV and may also play a role in identifying victims of abuse, as non-accidental injuries can frequently present in the oro-facial region. The oral health overview concludes by describing the contents of innovative oral health packs that are tailored to prevention of dental diseases and that can be readily incorporated as part of food packs distributed by aid agencies. (Disaster Med Public Health Prepardness. 2018;12:772-777).

Effectiveness of a one year oral health educational and preventive program in improving oral health knowledge and oral hygiene practices of a group of Autistic Egyptian children and their caregivers

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro developmental disorder characterized by severe damage in social interaction, language, behavior and cognitive function. AimThe current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a specially designated educational and preventive program for 1 year in reducing caries activity and preventing caries and periodontal diseases among group of autistic Egyptian children, also to assess the behavior of each child in every visit and to assess the effectiveness of a specially designated educational program in improving oral health knowledge, attitudes and oral practices of parents and caregivers of these children. Basic research designLongitudinal field trial with before and after comparison. Participants30 Autistic Egyptian children (4-13years old) and their parents/caregivers. Clinical settingThree academies for autism spectrum disorder, situated in Cairo, Egypt. InterventionsPhase I: Information of the Cariogram parameters (caries experience, diet content, diet frequency, plaque amount, mutans streptococci, fluoride program, saliva secretion and saliva buffer capacity) were collected, which were used to generate the individual caries profile, based on which the children were divided into 3 risk groups. Phase II: Risk based preventive program was implemented. Phase III: At the end of 12 months, caries profile was generated again. Main outcome measuresThe effectiveness of the preventive program was assessed by comparing the baseline and follow-up caries profile for statistical analysis. ResultsA statistically significant difference was found in Frankl's behavior scale between the three periods of testing, regarding caries activity and periodontal diseases, a statistically significant difference was found between before and after the preventive program, on assessing dental knowledge of caregivers before and after the program, results showed that a statistically significance difference was found between the percentage of caregivers in answering the questions with right answers before and after the program where a higher percentage answered the right answer after the program than before. ConclusionsEducational and preventive program was effective in improving the various caries risk factors and increasing the chance to avoid caries to autistic children and in increasing children and caregivers' dental knowledge.

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Oral Health Status of Chinese Diabetic Patients Aged 55 to 74 Years.

To understand the oral health knowledge, attitude, behaviour and oral health status of Chinese diabetic patients so as to facilitate the development of oral health education programmes for diabetic patients in China. A face-to-face questionnaire was conducted for 1,024 diabetic patients and 8,030 non-diabetic people aged 55 to 74 years old in order to understand their oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. Oral health examination was implemented including caries, gingival bleeding, dental calculus, periodontal attachment loss, etc. according to the Oral Health Surveys Basic Methods 5th Edition. Compared with non-diabetic patients, those with diabetes had more oral health knowledge and more positive attitudes. The proportion of people who formed toothbrushing habits was higher in diabetic patients, but that of regular scaling and flossing is as low as that in non-diabetic people. The detection rate of deep periodontal pockets in diabetic patients was higher than that in non-patients, while the caries situation was better than that in non-patients. This study has shown that the oral health knowledge, attitude, behaviour and oral health status of the 55 to 64-year-old diabetic population are not optimistic. There is a great need for a systematic oral health education programme in China. The contradiction between a large number of diabetes patients and limited health resources requires us to give priority to the improvement of oral health behaviours, such as educating patients to develop toothbrushing and flossing habits.

Effect of an oral health education program based on the use of quantitative light-induced fluorescence technology in Uzbekistan adolescents

The aim of this study was to determine whether an oral health education program using a Qscan device based on quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) technology could improve the oral hygiene status and oral health literacy of adolescents. One hundred adolescents aged 14-16 years attending a school in Tashkent city were included in this study. The participants were assigned to the following two groups using permuted block randomization technique: (i) control group (traditional learning) and (ii) experimental group (Qscan device-based learning). The participants included in the experimental group received additional education and training on dental plaque removal using the Qscan device. The accumulated levels of plaque were assessed in all participants, who also completed questionnaires about their oral health status, oral health knowledge, attitude, and behavior during an 8-week period. There were statistically significant improvements in the experimental group compared to the control group in the plaque index (0.46 vs 0.07, p < .05), oral health knowledge (19.4 vs 28.8, p < .05), attitude (16.7 vs 20.2, p < .05), and behavior (19.9 vs 30.5, p < .05). This study has demonstrated that an oral health education program based on the use of QLF technology could be useful for improving the oral hygiene status and oral health literacy of adolescents in Uzbekistan.