Improvement of oral health knowledge and behavior of diabetic patients: An interventional study by using the social media

Abstract

Background: Diabetic patients are not often aware of the relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and periodontal diseases, and researchers recommend further knowledge enhancement of diabetic patients in this regard. This study aimed to enhance the oral health knowledge of diabetic adults through an educational intervention. Methods: In this interventional study, three private offices of endocrinologists specialized in treatment of DM were selected for recruitment of the participants. Totally, 120 diabetic adults (40 from each office) participated in an educational intervention in three groups (patients from each office comprised one group): (I) physician-aid (receiving an educational brochure and CD from their endocrinologist), (II) researcher-aid (receiving an educational brochure and CD from the researcher), and (III) social media (joining an educational group in WhatsApp for 3 months). A self-reported standard questionnaire was filled out by patients before and after the intervention to assess oral health knowledge. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 using independent t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, and ANCOVA. Results: The mean oral health knowledge score increased in all three groups after the educational interventions (P<0.001); the highest increase occurred in the social media group. Toothbrushing twice daily or more had the greatest improvement in physician-aid group compared with the other two groups (P<0.001). The greatest improvement in dental flossing once daily or more occurred in the social media group (P=0.01). The mean level of the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) decreased in all three groups but not significantly (P=0.83). Conclusion: The results revealed that educational interventions enhance the oral health knowledge and improve the behavior of diabetic adults. Education through the social media can be an efficient method for knowledge enhancement of diabetic patients.

Effectiveness of Oral Health Education and Interventions in Improving Oral Health Outcomes in Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Prospective Study

“…In addition, oral physicians can collaborate with primary care physicians to identify patients who might be at risk of developing T2DM based on oral findings. Dental investigations, oral prophylaxis, and proper dental care may decrease the incidence of oral diseases [15,16]. The present study combines oral health education with a dental intervention.…”