The Effects of the Dental Health Education Program on Parents for Oral Heal among Pre-School Children in Sam Soong District, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effects of the dental health education program on parents for oral health among pre-school children in Sam Soong District, Khon Kaen Province. The sample of this study consisted of 140 people, comprising pre-school children and their parents. They were divided into an experimental group of 70 people who attended the dental health education program. The comparison group consists of
70 people. The study was conducted over 8 weeks. The method of this study included simple random sampling, data collection from questionnaires and oral health record forms, and the analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results revealed significant statistical differences
(p-value<0.001) between parents in the experimental group and in the comparison group with regard to knowledge and behavior for oral health promotion among pre-school children. Parents in the experimental group had a higher average score than parents in the comparison group at 2.08 points (95% CI: 1.69, 2.46) with regard to knowledge and at 0.47 points (95% CI: 0.40, 0.53) with regard to their behavior. In addition, the pre-school children in the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant differences
(p-value<0.001) with regard to teeth cleanliness compared to those in the comparison group. The pre-school children in the experimental group had a lower average score with regard to tooth cleanliness than those in the comparison group at 0.61 points (95% CI: 0.48, 0.74). That is the pre-school children in the experimental group have cleaner teeth than those of the comparison group. When comparing differences within the experimental group, it was found that after the experiment, parents in the experimental group have increased their knowledge and improved their behaviors on oral health promotion for pre-school children, The pre-school children in the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in bacterial plaque on their teeth, and their teeth were cleaner.