The Effects of Dental Health Education on Oral Health Knowledge and Behavior

Educational strategies have been devised to increase students’ oral health knowledge and behaviors. This includes interactive learning, role playing and visual aids.

Studies conducted using the Hiroshima University Dental Behaviour Inventory (HU-DBI) have demonstrated that clinical dental students fare better on this inventory than their preclinical peers, possibly due to being more aware of health-related concerns among clinical dental students versus preclinical students.

Multisensory Learning

By engaging multiple senses in learning activities, children are better able to form connections in their brain that will enable them to retain information more efficiently. For example, an activity which incorporates visual, auditory and tactile components allows a child to gain an understanding of the structure, functions, types and types of teeth while linking images, sound and touch together for enhanced retention of knowledge.

Knowledge levels among participants improved after oral health education sessions as evidenced by significant increases in both their pretest and posttest knowledge scores, with more participants falling into high knowledge score categories at post-test assessments across gender, nationality and educational levels than pre-test.

Many individuals with special needs experience difficulty accessing dental care due to lack of health literacy skills necessary for understanding oral health issues. By integrating health literacy principles into dental training, this could significantly improve quality care for all patients and ensure healthcare professionals can properly explain medical and dental procedures (57). While the Joint Council of Accreditation has issued guidelines that aim at helping health systems establish patient-centred communication standards (52) these guidelines have yet to be adopted by dental schools (58).

Interactive Learning

Reducing health-related behavior requires not only imparting information but also inspiring one’s mind with new ideas. Educational strategies that incorporate entertainment may be more successful in encouraging healthy lifestyle changes [2]. When designing oral health education programs, educators must carefully consider patients’ value systems when designing HBM and EVT theories as two frameworks which could apply. They suggest individuals are more likely to engage in specific behaviors when perceived to be beneficial and worthwhile by them.

A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with 12-15 year-old schoolchildren who were randomly assigned either conventional oral health education (OHE) talk or an interactive game-based visual performance technique (IGVP). The results demonstrated that IGVP significantly enhanced children’s knowledge, feelings, attitudes and regular dental visits as well as behavioral control over visiting dentists; in turn this improved both participants’ oral health status as well as gingival health status after receiving educational intervention.

Community Engagement

Not all oral health education occurs within classroom settings; many community initiatives integrate oral health education to address access and disparities in care. Such comprehensive initiatives may include fluoride treatments at schools or community dental checkups.

Community participation in these educational efforts can include activities designed to demystify dentistry and make it less intimidating for students, such as role-playing dental visits and encouraging participants to make their own mouth models. Other methods for reinforcing dental health concepts could be organizing a brushing relay; having students compete against one another to wash models of teeth and tongue.

After attending an oral health educational session, participants’ overall HU-DBI scores improved dramatically across gender, nationality and academic year. Clinical students showed greater improvement than preclinical students due to increased knowledge scores attributed to this educational session.

School Programs

Schools utilize various oral health education programs for students. This may involve written or verbal communication, visual aids, digital tools, demonstrations or fixed or mobile programs administered by trained personnel such as dental hygienists.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of oral health education on knowledge. One research project showed children’s scores on an oral health awareness lecture improved by 88% after attending.

Poor oral hygiene can have serious repercussions for children’s overall health, including nutrition, speech development, self-esteem and academic performance. To ensure the best results are reached, schools should collaborate with parents and the community in providing consistent messages regarding oral hygiene.

Health education must also highlight the relationship between diet and oral health, helping children make more nutritious food choices that promote both a healthier body and smile.