Impact of Oral Health Promotion on Study Participants and Families

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of an oral health education program on study participants and their family members one year after the completion of a dentifrice study.

Methods: The program was part of a longitudinal study combining oral health data collection and oral health promotion in the Coban elementary school system in Guatemala. A modified Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey instrument, consisting of sixteen questions, was used. The questionnaire included demographic information on children who had been study participants and adults in their families along with their oral hygiene knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Trained school staff interviewed 1,635 children; 815 females and 820 males in grades 4 through 7. Descriptive statistics were used to report findings.

Results: Twenty-seven percent of the children reported that they had brushed their teeth prior to the study, but an additional 66% had been brushing since the study began and 96% said that they paid more attention to their oral health since their participation. The children reported that 12% of adults living in the same household had brushed their teeth prior to the study and an additional 78% had been brushing since the study began. The majority of children (79%) and adults (85%) brushed 3 or more times a day, 99% used toothpaste. The children thought that ninety-nine percent of adults would continue to brush in the future.

Conclusion: The results suggest that study subjects and their family members increased their oral hygiene knowledge and practices as a result of oral health promotion during a toothpaste study. Furthermore, the impact was evident one year after the study was completed.