Letter to the editor: ‘Long-term effectiveness of school-based children oral hygiene program on oral health after 10-year follow-up’ by Lai et al. (2016)

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the preliminary results of a school-based oral health educational strategy adopted in public primary schools from the city of Maringa, State of Parana, Brazil. The study sample was composed by 556 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years old, 124 schoolteachers and a group of 55 mothers. The educational approach was implemented for 18 months and consisted of reinforcements of interventions addressed to students and schoolteachers at school level and few activities targeted at the mothers, performed by means of home visits. Baseline and follow-up interviews focused on oral health care were undertaken for the entire study population. As a stimulus for the students to achieve proper oral hygiene habits, the simplified oral hygiene index was assessed at three different moments. A statistically significant improvement in their oral hygiene index (p<0.001) was recorded. The results achieved suggest an encouraging tendency towards the improvement in the levels of oral health care among the school-age youths studied. They also point out the need of intensifying the preparation of schoolteachers in oral health topics, as well the instructions to the mothers for their oral health care. Moreover, they highlight the importance of the continuous implementation of school-based programs to promote the oral health.

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Challenges in Implementing School-Based Oral Health Programs: Short- and Long-Term Impact of COVID-19

10.35565/cqi.2021.2031 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tamanna Tiwari ◽

Lori Cofano ◽

Christina Wood ◽

Julie Frantsve-Hawley

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Health Programs ◽

School Based ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Long Term Impact

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Serving Students With Acquired Brain Injury: Understanding Long-Term Need and Outcomes After the BrainSTEPS Program

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2021_persp-21-00059 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Jessica Salley Riccardi ◽

Libby Crook ◽

Brenda Eagan-Johnson ◽

Monica Vaccaro ◽

Angela H. Ciccia

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Regular Education ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Transition Services ◽

Student Outcome ◽

Severe Injuries ◽

School Based ◽

Wide Range

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to inform school-based services for children with acquired brain injury (ABI) by describing and analyzing functional student-outcome data from a state-wide, school-based, school re-entry consultation program, BrainSTEPS (Strategies Teaching Educators, Parents, and Students), in Pennsylvania. Method: A nonexperimental, retrospective analysis was conducted with data collected during a pilot follow-up survey for BrainSTEPS. Caregivers reported on 337 students with ABI participating in BrainSTEPS. Results: Most students post-ABI who were participating in BrainSTEPS were enrolled in regular education and reported no ongoing symptoms, as well as no parent perception of need for additional BrainSTEPS consultation during the time period of the follow-up survey. Current receipt of therapy was significantly associated with injury type, χ 2 (1, n = 329) = 16.72, p < .001. A multiple logistic regression was significant ( p < .001) in predicting the need for additional BrainSTEPS consultation. More severe injuries, educational placement postinjury of regular education with a 504 plan (compared to regular education), and current receipt of therapy significantly increased the odds of need for consultation. Conclusions: Due to the wide range of experiences of students in this sample, hospital-to-school transition services, educational supports and services, and long-term follow-up must be individualized for children with ABI. Speech-language pathologists are critical members of the school-based academic team for students with ABI to decrease long-term unmet needs.

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