Oral hygiene knowledge of high-risk Grade One children: an evaluation of two methods of dental health education

The effectiveness of two methods of dental health education (DHE) for impro ving oral hygiene knowledge among high-risk Grade One students was evaluate d. Fifty elementary schools in the former City of North York, Canada were a ssigned to one of two groups. In one group, students received a classroom-b ased DHE lesson which was reinforced by two small-group sessions (n=243). I n the other group, students received only a single classroom-based DHE less on (n=206). After DHE interventions, students in both groups displayed impr oved knowledge for most oral hygiene questions (e.g., when should you throw your toothbrush away?). However, for several questions, a significantly hi gher proportion of "classroom plus small-group sessions" students displayed improved knowledge compared to students receiving only a classroom lesson. These items included: awareness that cavity prevention and removal of germ s are two purposes of oral hygiene; and knowledge that teeth help people to eat and talk. Results suggest a classroom-based lesson combined with small -group sessions is a more effective method of improving oral hygiene knowle dge among high-risk Grade One students compared to a single classroom-based lesson.