The Effect of an Educational Leaflet on Parents' Knowledge, Performance, and Self-Assessment Scores Regarding Oral Health Elements, with a Special Focus on Fluoride

Abstract

Background: Increasing parental knowledge on dental health is crucial as it has a direct influence on their children's oral health and behavior related to oral care. While most parents exhibit positive attitudes towards preventive dental healthcare, there exists a level of uncertainty regarding several facets of oral care such as fluoride usage, sugar consumption, and more. Consequently, oral health education initiatives should explicitly emphasize various elements encompassing oral health. Objectives: The aim of the present research was to assess the impact of an educational leaflet on parents’ knowledge and performance regarding children’s dental health with a particular emphasis on fluoride. Methods: In this educational experimental study, parents of 124 children were assigned randomly to either a leaflet group (n=61) which received an educational pamphlet, or a control group (n=63) without any pamphlet. All participants were asked to complete a valid and reliable researcher-developed questionnaire both before the distribution of the pamphlet and one month after. The questionnaire consisted of four domains of demographic information, knowledge questions, performance questions and self-assessment questions. The results were analyzed using SPSS 21 via t-test and General linear regression model. Results: The participants' age ranged from 25 to 47 years. By the conclusion of our study, there was a significant improvement in knowledge scores for both groups (p<0.001), with the intervention group showing a more prominent increase compared to the control group (p<0.001) but there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding performance change. There was a statistically significant decrease in the self-assessment scores for both groups (p<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the intervention and control group (p=0.151). Conclusion: The use of the educational leaflet demonstrates effectiveness as a tool for oral health education.