Effectiveness of two oral health education intervention strategies among 12-year-old school children in North Bengaluru: A field trial

Abstract

Introduction: Oral hygiene practices are not taught as meticulously as general hygiene in schools. There is a dire need for effective and convenient oral health education program in schools. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of two different health education interventions in 12-year-old school children in Bengaluru. Materials and Methods: A field trial was conducted in two schools of North Bengaluru which were randomly selected and allotted to Group A (received oral health education from a class teacher, trained by a dental professional; n = 30) and Group B (received the same education from the dental professional; n = 33). Oral prophylaxis for both the groups was done at baseline. Assessment of oral hygiene was done for all the subjects using Silness and Loe plaque index and oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) along with reinforcement of health education at 3, 6, and 12 weeks. An adapted version of the World Health Organization Oral Health Questionnaire for children was administered to the participants at the beginning and end of the study to assess the oral health knowledge and practice. Mann–Whitney U-test and t-test were used for comparing the mean scores of two groups. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between Group A and Group B in the plaque scores at all 3 follow-ups (P < 0.001) and in OHI-S scores last two follow-ups (P < 0.05). There was an increase in knowledge score postintervention for both groups which was significant; however only Group B be showed significant improvement in practice (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Oral health education conducted by the dentist was found to be more effective than that given by a trained teacher