Oral health knowledge of caregivers and parents of mentally impaired and physically disabled pre-school children in Hong Kong

Abstract Background: Oral diseases are common and widespread around the world. Many oral health problems are preventable and early onset is reversible. Myanmar faces many challenges in rendering oral health services and about 70 percent of total population resides in rural areas. These relate to the availability and accessibility of oral health services. Therefore, oral health education is one key element to prevent oral diseases and to promote oral health.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out at Basic Education Middle Schools in rural areas of Magway Township to study the effectiveness of oral health education on knowledge and behavior of eight to ten years old school children. A total of 220 school children, 110 from intervention school and 110 from control school, participated in this study from 2015 to 2017. Data for knowledge and behavior were collected before and after intervention in the two groups by using self-administered questionnaire. Tooth brushing method data were collected by direct observation with checklist. Oral health education was provided at eight weekly intervals for one year in the intervention group. After one year and six months, oral health knowledge and behavior were determined in the intervention group only to measure retention. Chi-square test, two samples t test, One way repeated measure ANOVA were used for data analysis. The study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of University of Public Health in Yangon, Myanmar.Results: After education, a positive net effect of intervention and significant improvement was found in the intervention group compared to the control group regarding oral health knowledge (p<0.05) except one that is foods that can cause dental caries (p=0.107) and behavior (p<0.001). Retention of mean ± standard deviation on knowledge and behavioral scores were 2.45±1.12, 3.79±1.12, 4.07±0.98 and 1.56±0.90, 3.60±1.21, 3.24±1.31 at baseline, at one year after education and at six months after cessation of education respectively, and, total knowledge and behavioral scores were significantly improved (p<0.001) among the school children in the intervention group.Conclusion: The repeated oral health education was effective to promote and sustain oral health knowledge and behavior. Word counts: 342

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Dental Caries and its Socio-Behavioral Predictors– An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry ◽

10.17796/1053-4628-40.3.186 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 186-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Santhosh Kumar ◽

Jyothi Tadakamadla ◽

Prabu Duraiswamy ◽

Suhas Kulkarni

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Dental Caries ◽

School Children ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Urban Children ◽

Soft Drinks ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Oral Health Knowledge ◽

Beliefs And Practices ◽

Health Related

Objectives: To assess dental caries status and oral health related behavior of 12 year old school children in relation to urbanization and gender; to analyze the effect of socio-demographic and behavioral variables on dental caries experience. Study design: Study sample comprised 831, 12 year old school children in, India. Caries status was assessed by Decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index and a 16 item closed ended questionnaire was administered to children for assessing their oral health related knowledge, beliefs and behavior. Results: Mean caries experience and prevalence was 1.94 and 64.9% respectively. Decay was the dominant component of DMFT. Greater proportion of female and urban children presented better oral health knowledge, beliefs and practices. Boys were more liable (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.10–1.96) for having caries than girls. Children living in rural areas and whose parents were not professionals or semiprofessionals were more likely to experience caries. Children whose mothers were unskilled or house wives were more than twice likely to present caries (OR=2.14, 95% CI-2.03–2.45) than those children whose mothers were skilled or semi-skilled. Children of illiterate fathers and mothers were 1.09 (95% CI, 1.02–1.49) and 1.98 (95% CI, 1.13–1.99) times more likely to have dental caries than those children whose parents had greater than 10 years of education. Children, those who cleaned their teeth less than once a day presented an odds ratio of 1.36 (CI-1.17–1.86) also higher odds of dental caries was observed in children consuming sweets or soft drinks more than once a day. Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of dental caries was low among urban children and girls than their rural and boy counterparts. In general, oral health knowledge, beliefs and practices were low, predominantly in rural and male children. Caries experience was significantly associated with gender, location of residence, brushing frequency, frequency of consumption of soft drinks and sweets, parents' occupation and education.

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