Oral Health Educational Methods in Adolescence

Summary

Adolescence is a phase of important redefinitions and become an important period in the construction of new habits. Therefore, oral health education becomes strongly necessary, since good habits acquired at this stage may be perpetuated for adult life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of an educational protocol on oral health in oral knowledge and clinical conditions in adolescence. A longitudinal study is being conducted with an initial sample of 291 adolescents enrolled in a public school in the city of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. The educational protocol was built in four phases. In phase I, the participants answered a questionnaire (pre-test) that included five statements about periodontal diseases and their forms of prevention. The answers were arranged in a Likert scale with a score of 1 (one) for the correct responses and 0 (zero) for the incorrect ones, obtaining, therefore, the knowledge score (KC). At this stage, adolescents is also being clinically assessed using simplified oral hygiene index (IHO-S) for dental plaque evaluation and gingival bleeding (ISG). In phase II, the sample (n = 291) is being randomly divided into two groups that receive two different educational interventions: oral orientation (OR) and video (VD). After each intervention, the questionnaire (post-test) is being reapplied. In the next phase (III), the study population (n = 291) is being again divided into four groups, and for two of them (OR + APP / VD + APP) a smartphone app was developed to messages which are being sending over a period of 30 days. In phase IV, the participants (n = 263) are answering again to the questionnaire (follow-up test) and are being reassessed clinically. Non-parametric tests and univariate and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance will be used for statistical analysis (α = 0.05).

Conditions

• Adolescent Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Oral orientation and App for smartphone

66 adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years. Participants enrolled in this group received standardized oral guidance performed by one of the previously trained researchers and included aspects of general and oral health and, in particular, of periodontal diseases. This intervention was carried out in a classroom, in a group with approximately 20 participants, providing an environment of discussions about the subjects covered. The duration was approximately 15 minutes. The participants also received an App for smartphone containing messages of reinforcement in oral health which was sent during a period of 30 days.

BEHAVIORAL

Oral orientation

71 adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years. Participants enrolled in this group received standardized oral guidance performed by one of the previously trained researchers and included aspects of general and oral health and, in particular, of periodontal diseases. This intervention was carried out in a classroom, in a group with approximately 20 participants, providing an environment of discussions about the subjects covered. The duration was approximately 15 minutes.

BEHAVIORAL

Video orientation and App for smartphone

63 adolescentes aged between 14 and 19 years. Participants enrolled in this group received oral health information through an audiovisual material produced especially to this research to offer a teaching medium capable of arousing the attention of its audience. The elaboration counted with the participation of three actors, two acting as adolescents and the third as a dental surgeon. The video had a total duration of 14 minutes. The participants also received an App for smartphone containing messages of reinforcement in oral health which was sent during a period of 30 days.

BEHAVIORAL

Video orientation

63 adolescentes aged between 14 and 19 years. Participants enrolled in this group received oral health information through an audiovisual material produced especially to this research to offer a teaching medium capable of arousing the attention of its audience. The elaboration counted with the participation of three actors, two acting as adolescents and the third as a dental surgeon. The video had a total duration of 14 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidade Federal do Paraná

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Luciana Zanon, PhD · Universidade Federal do Paraná

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-12-01

Primary Completion

2017-11-15

Completion

2017-12-01