Impact of School-Based Oral Health Education on Vietnamese Adolescents: A 6-Month Study

Abstract

We have evaluated the impact of a school-based intervention on oral health knowledge, behaviours, and oral health status of adolescents in Vietnam. This 6-month study included 462 adolescents aged 12 years from four selected schools in Hue City, Vietnam. The intervention group received a 15-min lecture by a dentist and hands-on session on mouth observation and toothbrushing skills. The control group did not engage in any educational activities during the follow-up period. Data were collected at baseline and 6 months through a survey questionnaire and clinical examination. The Debris Index was used for dental plaque; the Papillary, Marginal, Attached gingiva index for gingivitis; and the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth index (World Health Organization modification) for dental caries. Difference-in-difference analysis was used to compare changes between the groups. After 6 months, the control tended to show decreased toothbrushing frequency and increased dental plaque accumulation. The participants in the intervention group showed improved oral health knowledge (p < 0.01), behavior (p < 0.05), and hygiene (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. However, the intervention did not improve dental caries and gingivitis. A single school-based oral health education program can help adolescents improve oral health knowledge and prevent the deterioration of short-term oral health behavior and hygiene.

Análisis de los hábitos de higiene bucal y dental de niños escolares.

“…El estudio con mayor efectividad fue el realizado en Magway, esto porque la promoción de salud fue realizada durante un año, con promoción de salud impartida cada ocho semanas a los escolares (Nguyen et al, 2021).…”

“…En un estudio realizado en Vietnam, al igual que el estudio realizado en Madway y Hong Kong, se dividieron las escuelas en grupos; en el grupo intervención se realizó promoción de salud bucodental, mediante una presentación en PowerPoint. En cambio, en el grupo control, no se realizó promoción de salud, y como resultado se obtuvo que la promoción de salud en el grupo intervención reportó una mejora en el cepillado de dientes y la higiene bucal a corto plazo, pero esto no impidió que se sigan desarrollando caries en los escolares a largo plazo; el grupo control mostró nula eficacia sobre la mejora de salud bucodental (Nguyen et al, 2021).…”

Effectiveness of a Visual Interactive Game on Oral Hygiene Knowledge, Practices, and Clinical Parameters among Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…OHE for schoolchildren is a widely adopted primary strategy for the prevention of oral diseases, owing to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity in administration [ 14 , 15 ]. Studies have demonstrated that cartoon-animated audiovisual aids and game-based education implemented for schoolchildren are powerful tools for educating and providing thought-stimulating methods of learning [ 16 , 17 ].…”

Factors Predicting Oral Health Behaviors of Adolescents in Shushtar

“…The period of transition from childhood to adulthood is associated with many changes, including physical, sexual, and psycho-social changes, and in this period, unfortunately, neglecting health care, including oral health care, has become commonplace [11,12). In this period, independence from parents increases and leads to behavior changes, including behaviors related to eating habits, smoking, health behaviors, and lifestyle, and these independent behaviors can affect oral health and patterns Create a lifelong habit [13].…”