Impact of Educational Interventions Based on the Implementation Intentions Strategy on the Oral Health of Schoolchildren

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a traditional educational intervention with other two based on the implementation intentions psychological model on clinical and cognitive aspects related to the oral health of schoolchildren. Material and Methods: A sample of 160 children aged 7-10 years was divided into three groups: control (CG), Intervention 1 (IG1) and Intervention 2 (IG2). Plaque index (PI), gingival bleeding index (GBI) and knowledge on the oral health of schoolchildren were collected at baseline, 30, 60 and 120 days. All groups participated in educational lectures and had individual tooth brushing supervision and children from IG1 and IG2 participated in a self-regulatory strategy called implementation intentions aimed at facilitating behavior of brushing teeth at least three times a day. In addition, children from IG2 participated in a collaborative implementation intentions strategy with their parents in order motivate them to develop the behavior with their children. Results: All groups showed reductions in PI and GBI values and improvements in oral health knowledge, but IG1 and IG2 showed statistically significant differences in these variables compared to CG. Conclusion: The use of the Implementation Intentions psychological model in oral health educational programs showed a greater impact on the knowledge about oral health and plaque index of schoolchildren compared to traditional educational programs.

Use of the theory of planned behavior and implementation intentions in dentistry: evidence of literature

To identify and discuss the evidence on the use of two psychological theories in preventive oral health behaviors: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the theory of Implementation Intentions (II).Material and Methods:We conducted a literature review from the keywords ætheory of planned behaviorÆ, æoral healthÆ and æimplementation intentionsÆ and their equivalents in Portuguese, referring to the databases Bireme (BVS), PubMed (Medline version) and Scielo, from January 1991 to July 2015. After the selection of studies, they were divided into three groups according to their use in the field of oral health: a) use of TPB, b) use of II and c) those which used an association of both theories.Results:We recovered 159 articles on the topic. After analysis, 25 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 21 used the TPB in oral health, three the theory of Intent Implementation in oral health and one used the two together (TPB and II) in oral health. We found that the TPB and II showed promising results both in terms of prediction of preventive behaviors and in the promotion of changes in preventive oral health behaviors. Conclusion:The evidence raised in this study showed that the TPB and II are theories that can help researchers / health professionals to predict and to change preventive oral health behaviors. However, additional research is needed to test their effectiveness in other oral health behaviors, age groups and longer follow-up times...