The Effectiveness of the 2D Animation Series “Beautiful Tooth Good Health” on Toothbrushing Behavior and Caries Risk Food Consumption Behavior of Primary School Students in Grade 5–6 in Lamlukka District, Pathum Thani Province

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the 2D animation series “Beautiful Tooth Good Health” on toothbrushing behavior and caries risk food consumption behavior among grade 5–6 students from two primary schools.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study utilizing a two-group pre-test post-test design was conducted with all willing volunteer participants. Group 1 (control group) received the standard learning program. Group 2 (experimental group) watched two animation episodes facilitated by teachers once a week for three weeks. Follow-up was conducted one week post-intervention. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the independent t test, all performed at a significance level of .05. 

Results: Following the intervention, Group 2 showed significant improvement in “brushing technique,” “brushing duration,” and “overall toothbrushing behavior” (p-value < .001, .005, and .007 respectively).  Inter-group analysis revealed that Group 2 outperformed Group 1 significantly in “brushing technique” and “overall toothbrushing behavior” (p-value < .001 and .006 respectively). In contrast, the behaviors of Group 1 remained unchanged (p-value .491), except for the “plaque volume (measured by straw scraping)” category, which significantly worsened (p-value .007). Regarding the caries risk food consumption behavior, no significant differences were found between the two groups (p-value .505). In terms of satisfaction, Group 2 reported high satisfaction levels (rated "satisfied" or higher) for the items “cleaner teeth after brushing” (97.7%), “reduced caries risk food consumption behavior” (97.7%), and “overall satisfaction” (95.3%). Categorized as good, good, and very good levels, respectively.

Conclusion: The 2D animation series “Beautiful Tooth Good Health” is effective in improving toothbrushing behaviors in terms of brushing technique, brushing duration, and overall toothbrushing behavior. Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated superior brushing techniques and overall toothbrushing behavior compared to the control group. However, the intervention did not significantly impact the caries risk food consumption behavior in either group.