Family-based Counseling Models for Young Children

University of Turku

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dental Caries; Dental Plaque; Behaviorial Habits

Treatments: Behavioral: Oral hygiene and fluoride use; Behavioral: Diet and use of xylitol

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01854502

IArpalahti2008

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of two new family-based oral health promotion programs with the routine program in use earlier in Vantaa public dental service. The children born in 2008 were followed from their first visit to public dental service at the age of 6-12 months to their dental examination at the age of 2-2½ years. The outcome measures are the colonization of mutans streptococci in dental plaque, dental caries, and the oral health habits of two-year-olds.

Full description

The investigators hypothesized that the training of the dental professionals involved in children's examinations could improve the quality of the counseling, raise the level of commitment, and give them a new kind of perspective on early childhood oral health counseling. Health promotion programs with clinical guidance aimed also at the parents themselves might commit the families to maintain their children's good oral health.

All programs (two new and the control program) consisted of the basic elements of oral health counseling for the children. The counseling included regular oral hygiene, i.e. tooth brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste twice a day, advice of a healthy diet with proper timing and composition of meals avoiding sugary snacks, and to use xylitol products on regular basis. Additionally, in the program of oral hygiene and fluoride, the parents were given counseling on how to brush their own teeth with fluoride-containing toothpaste and clean between them. In the program of diet and xylitol parent was asked to fill in one-day diary of his or her own diet in the waiting room, and the dental professional pointed out the frequency of meals and snacks, as well as suggested the use of xylitol 5 grams per day.

The children, accompanied by their parents, were clinically examined in various health clinics of the Vantaa public dental service. At the regular two-year visit, the dental hygienists and in-service trained dental nurses tested the children for mutans streptococci in plaque. The transtheoretical model and the motivational interviewing were introduced to the dental hygienists and in-service trained dental nurses to use in preventive counseling.

The results of this study will be published in three articles.

Enrollment: 804 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• first born children born in 2008

Exclusion criteria

• not first born children

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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804 participants in 3 patient groups

Oral hygiene and fluoride use

Experimental group

Description:

Parents of young children were given counseling of their own oral hygiene and the use of fluoride on their child's visit to public dental service. The child was given multi-faceted counseling for good oral health habits.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Oral hygiene and fluoride use

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Control, The parents were not given any intervention on their child's visit to public dental service. The child was given multi-faceted counseling for good oral health habits.

Diet and use of xylitol

Experimental group

Description:

Parents of young children were given counseling of their own diet and the use of xylitol on their child's visit to public dental service. The child was given multi-faceted counseling for good oral health habits.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Diet and use of xylitol