Effectiveness of Oral Health Education Given in Private Dental Institutions in Chennai

Introduction: Oral health is an integral part of general health. Despite the fact most of the oral diseases are preventable; least priority is given for oral care among public. As knowledge is considered to be an essential prerequisite for related behavior and educational intervention is easy in administration logical at community level for promotion, this study was conducted to evaluate the impact of oral health education.

Materials and Method: The used questionnaire in this cross-sectional survey consisted of 12 items to obtain data through telephonic interview. The study was conducted among 100 people who had received oral health education counseling during their dental visit. They were selected from the records management system in a private dental institution in Chennai city. Descriptive statistics using frequency and percentage and inferential statistics using Pearson’s Chi-square test to check the level of significance and association between variables were utilized for statistical analysis.

Results: The mean age was found to be 35.6 ± 12.303. Most of them were aged 21-40 years perceived the intervention to have a moderate impact developed greater expected behavior as a result of counseling. Males were higher in proportion than females. However, the practice of oral hygiene post intervention was greater among women. Higher proportions in different age groups perceived moderate impact. No matter whatever was the educational status of the individuals, oral health education created desirable behavior for healthy oral cavity.

Conclusion: Effective educational interventions with motivation contribute to positive behavior change.