Development of a School-Based Online Periodontal Education Programme for Adolescents

TL;DR

A school-based online program improved teens' oral health knowledge and behaviors, especially for those with periodontal issues.

Contribution

A novel school-based online periodontal education program was developed and evaluated for its impact on adolescents' oral health.

Findings

Students showed improved knowledge of teeth count, periodontal disease, and toothbrushing after one year.

Awareness of gingival swelling and bleeding increased among students with periodontal conditions.

Use of fluoride toothpaste was associated with periodontal conditions at 3 months.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a developed school-based online health education programme with a periodontal examination results sheet for high school students on their subjective oral symptoms, knowledge and attitudes regarding oral health, and oral health behaviours.

The participants were first- and second-year students aged 15 to 17 years (n = 847) at a high school in Japan. The students underwent a periodontal examination and were divided into periodontal condition (PC) and nonperiodontal condition (non-PC) groups. The students participated in the online oral health education programme, which included a periodontal examination results sheet after the examination. The data for identifying the effect of the programme were collected via questionnaire surveys at the periodontal examination (baseline), after 3 months, and after 1 year, and they were compared between baseline and 3 months later and between baseline and 1 year later by the chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associations between the measured variables related to oral health at 3 months or 1 year and the presence/absence of periodontal conditions after adjustment for sex and variables at baseline.

A total of 628 students (74.1%) participated in this study. The percentages of individuals with knowledge of how many teeth they had, knowledge of periodontal disease, and experience with toothbrushing instruction increased significantly after 1 year in both groups (p < .05). The awareness of gingival swelling and bleeding and the use of fluoride toothpaste at 3 months were positively associated with the presence of periodontal conditions.

This study showed that an online oral health education programme contributed to improving oral health knowledge and behaviours among high school students and that the awareness of periodontal conditions according to the periodontal examination results sheet might improve the awareness of gingival swelling and bleeding at 3 months.

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