The Effect of Digital Media Programs on the Oral Health Promotion in the Health Office: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Regular using of the toothbrush, mouthwash and dental floss is useful in prevention and treatment of the oral diseases. Objectives: This paper examines the impact of an educational film on the promotion of the student’s oral health behavior. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted in Chabahar in 2011-2012, on 10-12 year old girls. Three hundred students were randomly assigned to three groups of 100. The type of the intervention included film and lecture. Post tests were conducted in two phases: immediately and three months after the first intervention. The research data from valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was analyzed by the SPSS Version 16 using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study was approved by the ethical committee of Tarbiat Modares University. Results: The highest rate of the birth order in the study population was two, mean age of students was 11 years, and the mean number in each family was five. The average education level of mothers and fathers was illiterate and literacy respectively. The majority of fathers were unemployed and mothers were housewives. Most of the families had private housing. Mean decayed missed filled teeth (DMFT) was: 1.46 + 1.66 .The level of the knowledge and attitude about teeth brushing was increased immediately and after the intervention (P < 0.001).The rate of practice increased after three months (P < 0.001). The level of the knowledge and attitude about dental flossing increased immediately and after 3 months. The rate of the practice did not increase after three months (P < 0.46). The level of the Knowledge about using the mouthwash increased immediately after the intervetion and after three months (P < 0.003). The rate of the practice did not increase immediately after the intervetion (P < 0.43). The film intervention was effective on the students’ Knowledge immediately and three months after the intervention (P < 0.025). The film effectivelly influenced students’ attitude both immediately and three months after the intervention (P < 0.028). Taken all together the study shows that the oral health practice is worse in the families with the lower socio-economic situation. Conclusions: Using educational film could be effective in promoting students’ self-care behaviors.