The Study on the Effectiveness of the Workplace Oral Health Promotion Program in Improving Oral Health Literacy and Self-care Behaviors among Workers

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral health promotion program in workplaces by assessing the oral health literacy and behaviors of workers. A two-stage sampling technique was used. At the first stage, workplaces were purposively selected. At the second stage, workers were selected through accidental sampling from workplaces that had continuously implemented oral health promotion programs for at least two years, as well as from workplaces without such programs. Nine establishments were included in each group, totaling 678 participants. Data were collected between September 1 and 30, 2024, through self-administered electronic questionnaires. General data, overall and categorical oral health literacy and behavior data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared between the two groups using the independent t-test. The result showed that in workplaces with and without oral health promotion programs, the proportion of workers with adequate oral health literacy was 70.8% and 50.5%, respectively. The mean oral health literacy scores were 91.4 and 79.9 out of a possible 136 points, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Additionally, workers in the intervention group reported a higher prevalence of brushing for at least two minutes (67.0%) and dental visits within the past year (90.3%), compared with only 12.8% and 29.8%, respectively, in the control group. These differences were statistically significant at p < 0.001. The findings highlight the significant improvement of oral health promotion programs in both oral health literacy and oral health behaviors among workers in workplaces.