Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
[Evaluation of an oral health promotion program after one year of implementation in a nursery school]
Stéphanie Tubert-Jeannin1, Marie-Maxence Lecuyer, Rachel Manevy
1Université d'Auvergne, Département de santé publique, Equipe d'Accueil 3847, UFR d'Odontologie, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Insights
A French oral health program improved children's tooth brushing habits but did not fully address their dental care needs. Many children still had untreated cavities, highlighting barriers to accessing dental services.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Health Promotion
Context:
- Oral health disparities in deprived urban neighborhoods.
- Implementation of a community-based oral health program in nursery schools.
- Focus on high-risk children for dental caries.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral health promotion program on children's brushing habits and oral hygiene.
- To assess short-term outcomes and process evaluation of the intervention.
- To identify barriers to accessing dental care among young children.
Summary:
- A one-year intervention in French nursery schools improved tooth brushing frequency and oral hygiene in the program group compared to controls.
- Parental, teacher, and child participation was high but active engagement was limited.
- Despite improvements in hygiene, significant unmet dental care needs persisted, with one in four children having untreated lesions.
Impact:
- Demonstrates the potential of targeted oral health programs to improve preventive behaviors in preschool children.
- Highlights the persistent gap between preventive care and necessary dental treatment access.
- Underscores the need to address systemic barriers hindering children's access to essential dental services.
Abstract:
An oral health promotion programme and study are currently being carried out in 9 nursery schools with children at high risk for cavities located in the deprived neighbourhoods of the city of Clermont-Ferrand (France). The programme's objective is to promote the improvement of tooth brushing habits (2 times/day) and general oral hygiene associated with the use of fluoridated toothpastes. Dental care and dental hygiene visits are also encouraged. In 2005-2006 the programme was implemented in 4 schools; another group of 5 schools constituted a control group. After one year, an evaluation of the process, the programme's effectiveness and short-term outcomes was conducted. The majority of the parents, teachers and children participated in the program but their involvement was limited, with active participation being difficult to achieve. The programme was positive in terms of its prevention component and objective. A significant improvement in children's oral hygiene habits was obtained in the programme group as compared to the control group. However, the care and treatment needs of the children in both groups were not covered, given that one child out of four remained with untreated lesions at the end of the year. These results suggest that here are many barriers that prevent children's access to care which need to be addressed.
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