Impact evaluation of a school-based oral health program: Kuwait National Program

Aishah Alsumait; Mohamed ElSalhy; Sahar Behzadi; Kim D Raine; Rebecca Gokiert; Ken Cor; Sabiha Almutawa; Maryam Amin

doi:10.1186/s12903-019-0895-1

Impact evaluation of a school-based oral health program: Kuwait National Program

BMC Oral Health. 2019 Sep 2;19(1):202. doi: 10.1186/s12903-019-0895-1.

Authors

Aishah Alsumait¹, Mohamed ElSalhy², Sahar Behzadi³, Kim D Raine⁴, Rebecca Gokiert⁵, Ken Cor⁶, Sabiha Almutawa³, Maryam Amin⁷

Affiliations

¹ National School Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health, PO Box No 5338, 22064, Salmiya, Kuwait. alsuamit@ualberta.ca.
² College of Dental Medicine, University of New England, Portland, ME, USA.
³ National School Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health, PO Box No 5338, 22064, Salmiya, Kuwait.
⁴ School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁷ School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Abstract

Background: This study evaluated the relationship between enrolment in a school-based oral health prevention program (SOHP) and: 1) children's dental health status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and 2) mothers' oral health (OH) knowledge, attitude, practice, and OHRQoL.

Methods: This cross-sectional study, in the Kuwait Capital, included 440 primary school children aged 11 to 12 years and their mothers. Participants were classified into two groups: SOHP and non-SOHP. The SOHP group had been enrolled in the prevention program for at least 3 years: children had twice-a-year applications of fluoride varnish and fissure sealants if needed; mothers had, at least, one oral health education session. The non-SOHP group had negative consents and had not been exposed to the prevention program activities. Dental examinations were performed at schools using portable dental units. Caries experience was determined using the decayed (D/d), missing (M/m), and filled (F/f) teeth (T/t)/surface (S/s) indices. Children's OHRQoL was assessed using a self-administered validated Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ_11-14). Mothers' OH knowledge, attitude, practice, and OHRQoL were also assessed. After Bonferroni correction, a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for caries experience measures while a p-value of less than 0.013 was considered statistically significant for OHRQoL subscales and mothers' OH knowledge, attitude, practice, and OHRQoL.

Results: Mean (SD) DT/dt, DMFT/dmft and DMFS/dmfs were 1.41 (1.66), 2.35 (2.33), and 4.41 (5.86) for SOHP children, respectively. For non-SOHP children, the means were 2.61 (2.63), 3.56 (3.05), and 7.24 (7.78), respectively. The difference between the SOHP and non-SOHP was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Children enrolled in the program had a higher number of sealed and restored teeth. No significant differences were found in CPQ_11-14 scores or subscale scores between the two groups. No significant difference in mothers' OH knowledge, attitude, practices or OHRQoL was found between SOHP and non-SOHP groups (P > 0.013).

Conclusion: Enrolment in the SOHP prevention services was associated with a positive impact on children's caries level with no significant impact on mothers' knowledge, attitude, practice, or OHRQoL.

Keywords: Caries; Children; Knowledge; Mothers; Oral health quality of life.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dental Caries / epidemiology
Dental Caries / prevention & control*
Dental Caries / psychology
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Kuwait / epidemiology
Male
Oral Health / statistics & numerical data*
Program Evaluation
Quality of Life / psychology*
Schools
Surveys and Questionnaires