Effectiveness of a short web-based film targeting parental oral health knowledge in a well-child care setting

Health and oral health literacy: A comprehensive literature review from theory to practice

BACKGROUND

Health literacy (HL) refers to an individual's ability to access, understand, and apply health information to make informed decisions about their health. On the contrary, oral health literacy (OHL) focuses on an individual's ability to understand and utilize oral health information to maintain good oral health.

AIM

This study presents a comprehensive literature review that explores the theoretical foundations and practical applications of HL and OHL.

DESIGN

A comprehensive search was conducted using keywords on the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

RESULTS

The existing literature on various aspects of HL, including the most common used definitions of HL, conceptual frameworks, and consequences of limited health and OHL, was summarized. Additionally, the review discussed the significance of HL and OHL. Also, the relation between parent level of OHL and children's oral health was described. It further highlights modern approaches that have been shown in previous studies to improve the OHL of primary caregivers.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the significance of HL and OHL is crucial in developing effective interventions that can address disparities and improve oral health outcomes for individuals of all backgrounds.

Evaluation of dental hygiene learning outcomes through smartphone-based educational slides targeting dental hygienists: A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Education reflecting fundamental knowledge is required for competent health care providers, but often lectures are not available for this purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the dental hygiene learning outcomes following the presentation of web-based slides on a smartphone to dental hygienists.

METHODS

A two-group nonblinded quasi-experimental design was used for this study. Forty-six dental hygienists were assigned to a study (n = 31) or control group (n = 15). The study group viewed 22 slides on fundamental oral health knowledge using smartphones. Pre and postviewing tests (score range: 1-13) and a questionnaire were conducted to evaluate knowledge acquisition and to receive feedback from participants. Differences between the study and control group and intrastudy group differences were statistically evaluated.

RESULTS

The fundamental knowledge of dental hygienists improved after viewing the slides: the study group had a significantly higher mean score than the control group (10.87 vs. 6.60; p < 0.001). Study group participants also had substantially higher post-test than pretest knowledge scores (mean 10.87 vs. 6.26, p < 0.001). In the questionnaire, more than 85% of the participants answered that the content of the slides would be useful in their clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

Smartphone-based educational slides were beneficial for conveying fundamental and recent oral health knowledge to dental hygienists.

Impact of a Dental Storybook on Parents' Knowledge of Children's Oral Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

To evaluate the effectiveness of a dental storybook on parents' knowledge about oral health of their children and to assess their perception of its effect in reducing dental anxiety levels among their children, as well as improving their oral health knowledge.

Patients and Methods

This was a two-arm parallel, single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) which was performed at the pediatric dental clinics in the Dental University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Parents of 88 children (6-8 years old) were included in the present study. Parents and their children were randomly divided into two groups as follows: the intervention group (received the storybook and verbal oral hygiene instructions) and the control group (only received verbal oral hygiene instructions; same information included in the book). Three dental visits, including screening, examination/cleaning and treatment, were provided for each child. In the screening visit, baseline parental oral health knowledge was evaluated for all parents. Afterward, parental oral health knowledge was re-evaluated in the examination visit. In the treatment visit, a parental perception questionnaire was administered to parents following treatment to evaluate their satisfaction regarding the use of the storybook in reducing anxiety levels among their children.

Results

There was a significant improvement in the total knowledge score at the follow-up visit in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.0001). Overall, the majority of parents perceived the storybook as a useful source of information, and they found it to be effective in reducing dental anxiety levels among their children.

Conclusion

The dental storybook is an effective educational tool that can help parents become more knowledgeable about their children's oral health. Moreover, parents perceived the storybook as an effective tool for enhancing their oral health knowledge and lowering their children's dental anxiety.

Association between ethnicity and health knowledge among the floating population in China

Background

Health equity remains a priority concerns by central government in China. This study aimed to explore ethnic gaps in access to health knowledge categories and sources based on the survey data from a publicly available dataset.

Methods

Data were from 2015 China Migrants Dynamic Survey issued by The National Health Commission in China. Descriptive analyses were performed to reflect geodemographic differences in the floating population of ethnic minority (EMFP) and Han majority (HMFP) with Chi-square test. Ethnic gaps in access to health knowledge categories and sources were explored with Poisson regressions, logistic regressions, and bivariate ordered probit regressions.

Results

In the sample, most of participants had inadequate health information literacy. There were significant differences regarding geodemographic factors between EMFP and HMFP. Illiterate EMFP had likelihood to obtain less health knowledge categories (IRR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.77–0.84) and sources (IRR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.80–0.86) as compared to illiterate HMFP. Most of correlations between health knowledge categories and sources were weak in the samples of EMFP and HMFP.

Conclusion

Ethnic disparities in access to health knowledge categories and sources among the floating population in China were confirmed. Further effective efforts should be provided to reduce ethnic disparities in access to health knowledge under the ethnicity-orientated support of public health resource.

Effectiveness of a short web-based film targeting parental oral health knowledge in a well-child care setting

Young children rely on their parents with respect to oral health routines. However, parental knowledge on this topic is often insufficient. Well‐child care may be an excellent route to reach parents because almost all of them attend. To evaluate the effectiveness of an 8.5 min web‐based film about oral health, provided by well‐child care, a non‐blinded quasi‐experimental study was performed. Parents attending well‐child care clinics in the Netherlands were assigned to an intervention (n = 88) or control group (n = 41). The control group received care as usual. We measured parental knowledge of oral health with a questionnaire (range of scores 1–12) before and directly after the intervention, and 6 months later, and assessed differences between the intervention and the control group. Parental oral health knowledge improved after watching the film: the intervention group’s mean score of 11.1 (SD 1.3) was greater than the mean score of 7.1 (SD 2.0) of the control group (Cohen's d = 2.64). Scores remained higher in the intervention group 6 months after watching the film (mean 9.1, SD 1.3) than before (Cohen's d = 1.25). A web‐based educational film delivered in a well‐child care setting can be an effective way to address oral health and to improve parental knowledge.