Education intervention with respect to the oral health knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of refugee families: A randomized clinical trial of effectiveness

Abstract

Objectives: The study assessed the effectiveness of an oral health educational and behavioral intervention program in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of refugee families. Methods: This randomized 2-arms, controlled, single site, clinical trial assessed the dental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to oral health at baseline and three times over the course of the 6 months of the intervention in recent refugee families. Participating families were educated on five topics in oral health in two 1-hour sessions utilizing existing oral health education materials adapted to be linguistically and culturally appropriate for demonstration and instruction. Culturally competent techniques and motivational interviewing styles were also implemented during sessions. Pre/post surveys were used to assess changes to knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among refugee family participants. Results: Out of the 66 families enrolled in the program, 52 (72 percent) completed visits over the course of 6 months. Differences between the intervention and control groups were not significant between baseline and 3 to 6 months later (P > 0.05). Conclusions: A short-term, culturally informed oral health educational and behavioral intervention program did not improve oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors in a diverse group of recent refugee families. many cases go untreated, incurring greater risks of developing oral diseases among refugees. 3 Poor oral health has a significant impact on quality of life and overall health outcomes. 4 Untreated oral conditions like dental caries can interfere with everyday activities such as talking, eating, and sleeping. 5 This is especially hard on refugee children as it can hinder academic performance and cognitive development. 6 Several unfortunate circumstances make refugee children highly susceptible to

Oral Health Knowledge Gaps and Their Impact on the Role of Pediatricians: A Multicentric Study

“…Dental caries in the primary dentition can have significant damaging effects on a child’s growth, due to the impairment of their oral functions [ 4 ]. Particularly, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are often most vulnerable to these dental health issues [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Since the first encounter of a child in a medical environment is often through pediatricians and medical practitioners, it is important that they are aware of the prevention of oral disease that begins early in life.…”

A Randomized Clinical Trial Preventive Outreach Targeting Dental Caries and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life for Refugee Children

“…Before enrolment, every child’s parent/guardian received and signed an informed consent form. This study is a part of an educational intervention project that was conducted for refugee children and their families; the cognitive measures of the educational components of this project were previously tested and published; therefore, this study is a continuation of the previously published paper with similar a methodology and different measurement outcomes [ 15 ].…”

Advancing a programme theory for community-level oral health promotion programmes for humanitarian migrants: a realist review protocol

“…[15][16][17] For example, an oral health education programme in the USA provided brochures for refugee children and their caregivers to increase their knowledge of the oral health of children. 18 Another example of oral health education programmes includes a programme providing a multilingual oral health education digital video disk (DVD) for refugees in Australia. 17 Dental service provision programmes intend to improve the oral health of humanitarian migrant populations through provision of dental care, such as dental restorations or extractions, by volunteer or remunerated dentists, dental students and non-governmental organisations.…”

“…Oral health education programmes aim to increase oral health knowledge of humanitarian migrants and thereby instigating a change in oral health behaviour, potentially leading to improved oral health 15–17. For example, an oral health education programme in the USA provided brochures for refugee children and their caregivers to increase their knowledge of the oral health of children 18. Another example of oral health education programmes includes a programme providing a multilingual oral health education digital video disk (DVD) for refugees in Australia 17…”