Effect of an oral health awareness program to improve oral care of school children in Lahore city

Effect of oral health program

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Oral health is an important index of general health. Oro-dental problems are common but preventable and manageable in children. Awareness regarding oral health at a young age might make a difference. In order to have a clear picture of our society, we planned our study to assess the effectiveness of oral health programs in school children in Lahore city.

METHODOLOGY: Quasi-experimental study, conducted in nine months (Dec 2023 to Aug 2024) at randomly selected four primary branches of Army Public School (Girls), Lahore, after ethical approval by the University of Lahore (Ref No: REC-UOL-612-12-2023). Eighty-seven children were selected through multi-cluster sampling. Data was collected through a validated questionnaire and oral examination before and after one month of oral health awareness session. Data was analyzed using SPSS 25; for qualitative variables, frequency and percentages, whereas for quantitative variables, mean and standard deviation were calculated, and McNemar’s test was applied for clinical oral examination before and after intervention.

RESULTS: Study participants (n=87); ages between 8-10 years 8(9.2%) and between 11-13 years 79(90.8%). It was observed that the oral health awareness program significantly improved the knowledge of study participants. Oral examination showed significant improvement in gingival erythema, ulceration, inflammation, and swelling (p≤0.001). However, the effect on gingival color and the presence of plaque and calculus was reported as insignificant.

CONCLUSION: The Oral health awareness program had a positive effect on school children. Children are building blocks of a society, and schools are the best place for conducting awareness programs.