Preventive program based on multiple intelligences to promote oral health in disabled children from Chiclayo, Peru

Abstract

Introduction: Children with physical disabilities often present deficient oral hygiene and eating habits that threaten optimal oral health. Objective: To evaluate the result of a preventive program based on multiple intelligences to pro-mote oral health care in children with physical disabilities in Chiclayo - Peru. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental, quan-titative, prospective and longitudinal study was carried out from the year 2020, to test a preventive intervention based on multiple intelligences (MI), comparing it with an intervention with traditional methodology, whose purpose was in both cases promote preventive oral health care in 167 boys and girls with physical disabilities from four Special Basic Education Centers (CEBES) in Chiclayo. For the pre- and post-test evaluation using a dental record of oral hygiene practices, oral hygiene index and dietary exposure to sugary carbohydrates, the Mann Whitney U test was required, with a confidence level of 95%. Results: After not very encouraging findings in the pretest for both groups, significant changes were observed in the posttest in favor of the IM-based program, for which 58% of schoolchildren registered an adequate oral hygiene index, 69.2% brushed twice to three times a day and that only 35.8% present regular exposure to carbohydrates. Statistical significance was evidenced in favor of the MI-based intervention for the three indicated variables (p= 0.000). Conclusions: The application of the IM-based program achieved better results in the significant promotion of oral hygiene practices with a favorable record of the IHO and by reducing the exposure to carbohydrates in a vulnerable population. Keywords: Health promotion; Oral health; Preventive dentistry; Health education; Children with disabilities.