School-based Oral Health Education Program Using Experiential Learning

Matina Angelopoulou

Status: Completed

Conditions: Caries; Gingivitis

Treatments: Behavioral: Experiential learning oral health education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02320162

Marquette U

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this project was to compare the effectiveness of experiential learning (EL) and traditional lecturing (TL) school-based oral health education on the oral health knowledge, attitude, habits, oral hygiene, gingival health and caries incidence of 10 and 13-year-old Greek children. Thee hundred and fifty children were selected from three areas of Greece. Information on oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour were obtained using a questionnaire. Dental plaque was recorded using a modified hygiene index, gingivitis was assessed using the simplified gingival index and dental caries was measured by recording the number of Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth (DMFT) using the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) criteria. All children were examined by two calibrated dentists, using a World Health Organisation (WHO) periodontal probe and artificial light. Questionnaires were delivered and clinical examinations were performed at baseline and at 6 and 18 months post-intervention. The EL oral health educational program was implemented by teachers using the program's manual.

Enrollment: 351 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 9 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 10 and 13 year-old children
• For the EL group, students were recruited from schools that had teachers previously trained in EL
• Students recruited for the TL group attended schools of the same geographical location as students in the EL group

Exclusion criteria

• Contributory medical history

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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351 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Experiential learning

Experimental group

Description:

Oral health education using experiential learning (EL)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Experiential learning oral health education

Traditional lecturing

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Oral health education using traditional lecturing (TL)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Experiential learning oral health education