The impact of an educational pamphlet on the awareness of parents about 4‒6-year-old children's oral habits and dentofacial discrepancies

Association between self-reported oral habits and oral health related quality of life of adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria

Oral habits such as nail biting, thumb/digit sucking and teeth grinding could be harmful, and may lead to teeth misalignment, anterior open bite, protruded or flared upper anterior teeth especially if they persist into adolescence. Such orofacial dysfunction may result to impairment of the Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of an individual. The extent to which oral habits affect the major domains of the self-reported outcomes remains understudied especially during adolescence, a unique period of growth, where there is increased aesthetic desire, increased self-awareness, and unique social and psychological needs. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the prevalence of oral habits and its association with oral health related quality of life of adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 700 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years (with mean age 14.6 (±1.3) years) attending 14 secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which assessed sociodemographic characteristics of the students, oral habits and OHRQoL with Oral Health Impact Profile 5 (OHIP-5). Data were analyzed with SPSS and p value was at <5%. Mann Whitney U statistics was used to test for associations between OHIP-5 scores and presence or absence of oral habits. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. A total of 363 (51.9%; 95%CI = 48.1%-55.6%) bite their nails, 216 (30.9%; 95%CI = 27.5%-34.4%) breathe with their mouth, 122 (17.4%; 95%CI = 14.7%-20.4%) suck their lips, 89 (12.7%; 95%CI = 10.3%-15.4%) grind their teeth together and 32 (4.6%; 95%CI = 3.1%-6.7%) sucked their thumbs. A total of 403 (81.1%) adolescents who engaged in at least an oral habit reported an impairment of their OHRQoL. Painful aching in the mouth was the most frequently affected OHRQoL item reported by the adolescents who engaged in oral habits. Those who sucked their thumbs (OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.1-4.7, p = 0.028) and those who sucked their lips were more likely to have poorer OHRQoL (OR = 1.6, 95%CI = 1.1-2.5, p = 0.024). Oral habits were prevalent among the adolescents and affected their OHRQoL. Those who sucked their thumbs and lips were more likely to report poorer OHRQoL than those who did not.

Oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of teachers and healthcare workers in special schools for the disabled children in Isfahan

Oral health is an important aspect of general health, and is of great importance, especially in disabled children. A school is an ideal place for the implementation of preventive programs. Considering the significance of the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease in disabled children, and the important role of teachers in the oral health promotion of students, this study aimed to assess the oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of teachers and healthcare workers in special schools for the disabled children in Isfahan. This descriptive-analytical study evaluated the oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of 172 teachers and healthcare workers of special schools for disabled children in Isfahan using a questionnaire. The participants were selected using census sampling. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS via the Chi-square test, t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient at P < 0.05 level of significance. The mean score of knowledge and attitude of teachers was 72.2% and 80.5%, respectively. The mean score of knowledge of healthcare workers was significantly higher than that of teachers (P = 0.007). Age had no significant correlation with the knowledge score (P = 0.41) but was significantly correlated with the attitude score (P = 0.01). Work experience had a significant correlation with the knowledge (P = 0.02) and attitude (P = 0.005) scores. In addition, the educational level had a significant correlation with the knowledge (P < 0.001) and attitude (P = 0.007) scores. The findings of this research showed that work experience had a significant correlation with the knowledge and attitude scores, which can be due to more contact of teachers with longer work experience with disabled children and their higher perception of hygienic needs and problems of these children.

Impact of a Dental Storybook on Parents' Knowledge of Children's Oral Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of a dental storybook on parents' knowledge about oral health of their children and to assess their perception of its effect in reducing dental anxiety levels among their children, as well as improving their oral health knowledge.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a two-arm parallel, single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) which was performed at the pediatric dental clinics in the Dental University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Parents of 88 children (6-8 years old) were included in the present study. Parents and their children were randomly divided into two groups as follows: the intervention group (received the storybook and verbal oral hygiene instructions) and the control group (only received verbal oral hygiene instructions; same information included in the book). Three dental visits, including screening, examination/cleaning and treatment, were provided for each child. In the screening visit, baseline parental oral health knowledge was evaluated for all parents. Afterward, parental oral health knowledge was re-evaluated in the examination visit. In the treatment visit, a parental perception questionnaire was administered to parents following treatment to evaluate their satisfaction regarding the use of the storybook in reducing anxiety levels among their children.

RESULTS

There was a significant improvement in the total knowledge score at the follow-up visit in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.0001). Overall, the majority of parents perceived the storybook as a useful source of information, and they found it to be effective in reducing dental anxiety levels among their children.

CONCLUSION

The dental storybook is an effective educational tool that can help parents become more knowledgeable about their children's oral health. Moreover, parents perceived the storybook as an effective tool for enhancing their oral health knowledge and lowering their children's dental anxiety.

Effectiveness of Randomized Controlled Field Trial Instructing Parents to Supervise Children on Tooth Brushing Skills and Oral Hygiene

Background:

Educating parents on supervision of tooth brushing ensures effective plaque removal, healthy gums and attainment of tooth brushing skills.

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of educating parents about children’s tooth brushing supervision on their own knowledge and act of supervision, their children’s tooth brushing skills, plaque score and gingival health.

Methods:

Two arms cluster randomized controlled field trial among 8-9 years primary school pupils and their parents. The intervention trial was an educational leaflet on step by step supervision of children during tooth brushing. The outcomes were; improved tooth brushing skills, oral hygiene status and gingival health, parental awareness and supervision of children’s tooth brushing. Data processing and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0. Frequency distribution for proportions, cross tabulations with Chi-square and adjusted binary logistic regression were performed.

Results:

A total of 237 pupils were followed to completion of the study. The odds of parents being aware and supervising children during tooth brushing were higher in the intervention group at follow-up 4.5 (1.5, 13.4) and 2.4 (1.3, 4.5) respectively. The unadjusted odds for good oral hygiene following intervention was 3.1 (1.4, 6.9) and that of tooth brushing skills 61.8 (7.7, 498.6). On adjusting with parental awareness and supervision of children during tooth brushing, odds of having tooth brushing skills increased to 88.2 (9.2, 847.4).

Conclusion:

Providing education to parents on children tooth brushing supervision effectively improved children’s tooth brushing skills, plaque score and gingival health emanating from awareness and act of supervision improvements revealed on their part.