Effectiveness of a preventive oral health program in preschool children

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational preventive program in oral health on preschoolers. Methods: The final sample was 71 children in the test group and 48 in the control group. Intraoral exams were conducted for caries experience (dmf-s), white spot lesions (WSL) diagnosis, dental biofilm and treatment needs (before and after intervention- the interval was 18 months). Caregivers answered a questionnaire about socioeconomic data and health behavior. The educational preventive program consisted of supervised brushing, education in oral health, fluoride application and lectures to caregivers. Mann Whitney and Wilcoxon tests (p < 0.05) were used to compare data between groups. Results: Mean caries experience was 0.94 (± 3.42) and 0.94 (± 2.87) in test and control groups, respectively. Baseline mean for dental biofilm was 4.95, and final mean was 0.21 in test group (p = 0.047). Conversely, the same variables were 4.11 and 0.84 in the control group (p = 0.047). The program was evaluated as very good (54.9% of caregivers), improvement of brushing was related by 62%, and more children went to the dentist (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The educational preventive program seems to be effective for dental biofilm reduction, improved brushing and dental visits, being an important strategy for oral health maintenance in children.