Abstract
Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of school based oral health interventions programs on students’ oral hygiene, in developing countries through systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Our investigation was conducted in electronic databases including MEDLINE Ovid), Embase Ovid, Scopus), Web of Science from 2000 to march 2018.The data were extracted based on a standard data collection form specific to observational studies, and entered into RevMan 2014. Inclusion criteria included individually randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster-RCTs including quasi- experimental studies that were related to oral health interventions. Software RevMan 2014was used for meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was carried out using random-effects models. Results: Twelve studies of students in this review finally entered the study including five individual RCTs, four cluster-RCTs, and three quasi-experimental studies. The intervention study period ranged from 1 month to 9 month. Interventions described in the studies briefly included oral health education with activities such as lectures, albums, slides, pamphlets, posters, and role playing. Meta-analyses showed a significant difference in knowledge (SMD 3.31, 95% CI 2.52 to 4.11; I 2 = 98; P < 0.001), attitude (SMD 1.99, 95% CI 0. 43 to 3.54; I 2 = 99; P < 0.001), behavior (SMD 4.74, 95% CI 3.70 to 5.77; I 2 = 99; P < 0.001), plaque index (SMD -1.01, 95% CI -1.50 to -0. 51; I 2 = 97; P < 0.001) and Gingival index (SMD 0. 33, 95% CI -0. 36 to 1. 02; I 2 = 98; P = 0.34) for students receiving educational interventions compared to those receiving usual care . Discussion: The systematic review concludes that educational interventions are effective for improving oral health knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, etc., which could potentially lead to improved oral health, reduced oral diseases, and reduced costs from treating oral diseases.
Effects of Educational Interventions on Oral Hygiene: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
