Effectiveness of Dental Health Education Intervention Using the 16-Surface Tooth Brushing Program Among 7-9-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Indonesia

Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of dental health education for teachers and parents on children aged 7-9 years old. Material and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonrandomized control group and a pretest-posttest design. The intervention group comprised 20 teachers and 66 mothers, whereas the control group consisted of 10 teachers and 54 mothers. Data on the knowledge and behavior of teachers and mothers were retrieved by pretest and posttest questionnaires. The 66 children in the intervention group underwent a 16-surface tooth brushing program, whereas the 54 children in the control group were only provided theoretical education by their teachers and mothers. The evaluation was conducted after one month to measure the children's dental plaque index. Results: An increase in teachers' oral health knowledge (16.7%), teachers' oral health behavior (20%), mothers' oral health knowledge (16.7%), and mothers' oral health behavior (20%) was noted; the children's plaque index was decreased (47%). Conclusion: The dental health education of teachers and parents (mothers) supported by the 16-surface teeth brushing program resulted in a significant reduction in the dental plaque index in children aged 7-9 years old.

Association Between Early Childhood Caries and Feeding Pattern in 3- to 5-Year-Old Children in Grogol Utara, South Jakarta

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the feeding method and early childhood caries (ECC) in children aged 3-5 years. Material and Methods: An observational study using a cross-sectional approach and convenience sampling method was performed on 165 children aged 36-71 months from eight kindergartens in Grogol Utara, Indonesia. Data on feeding and oral hygiene behavior patterns were obtained through interviews using a structured questionnaire, and an oral examination was performed to collect information on oral health using the decayed, extracted, filled surface and plaque indices. The oral examination was performed by two examiners who were calibrated for intra- and interobserver reliability (Kappa = 0.9) Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 83%, with mean values of decayed, extracted, filled teeth (deft) and of defs being 6.2 and 14.8, respectively. The prevalence of children with anterior dental caries was higher than that of children with posterior-only dental caries. The most severely affected teeth were maxillary central incisors (right = 62.4%; left = 61.2%), followed by maxillary lateral incisors (right = 49.1%; left = 44.2%). The caries pattern was almost symmetrical across the arches. There were significant differences between breastfeeding methods with anterior (p<0.05), but not with posterior dental caries. The complementary feeding initiation age was significantly different between anterior and posterior teeth caries groups (p<0.05), but complementary food type after tooth eruption and infant formula frequency were related only to anterior dental caries (p<0.05) Conclusion: The patterns of breastfeeding and complementary feeding were related to dental caries in anterior and posterior teeth. The feeding method that increases the ECC score in anterior and posterior teeth was the age at initiation of complementary feeding.