Determining the influence of oral health infotainment module on behavior and oral hygiene of 6-year-old school-children and their mothers in davangere city

Abstract

Aim and background:Dental plaque and calculus are common in school-aged children worldwide causing unsatisfactory oral health. This stage is a critical time to establish attitudes, beliefs, and shape an individual’s health-related behavior. Moreover, parental oral health knowledge and attitudes are known to influence their child’s oral health and hygiene. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study with a two-stage intervention trial involving a sample of 6-year-olds from two schools in Davangere city was done. Children were randomly allocated into three intervention groups by lottery method. Data included plaque index (PI) modified for 6-year-old children at baseline, 30th day, and at 60th day. Children and their mothers were requested to fill a self-administered questionnaire. The statistical analysis used ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test and measures ANOVA. p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was a significant reduction in the PI modified in 6-year-olds within and among the three groups at the end of 60 days (p = 0.001). Maximum reduction was seen in group II followed by group III and thereafter group I in both the age-groups. Conclusion: The study shows that at 60 days, the oral health infotainment module involving parental support was able to achieve appreciable improvement in the child’s oral health and hygiene and inculcate a better attitude toward oral self-care. © The Author(s). 2021.