Empowerment of Anganwadi Workers in Oral Health Care: A Kerala Experience

Oral diseases are a serious public health problem, which affects the overall health of a person. The lack of available and affordable oral health services, especially in a developing country like India, not only results in aggravation of the disease, but also enhances the cost of treatment and care. Education and involvement of community workers like Anganwadi workers aid to remove stigma, discrimination and provide better atmosphere conducive for patients with various diseases.

To assess the knowledge and practice of oral health care among the AWWs of the Pulikeezh block Panchayath before and after an oral health education training.

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to anganwadi workers of the Pulikeezh block Panchayath, Thiruvalla, Kerala before and after an oral health education training within a period of 3 months.

The mean knowledge and practice scores in the pretest were found to be 9.6 + 2.2 and 5.0 + 1.0 respectively. The posttest conducted after a 3-month period showed an increase in the knowledge and practice score with a mean of 10.9 + 2.2 and 5.7 + 0.6 respectively. The increase in knowledge and practice was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).

Empowered women are recognizably key agents in the change process who can play an effective role for health promotion. AWWs can function as oral health guides who can create awareness and help in prevention oral diseases.

As the oral health of an individual is set in the preschool period and more than 90% of dental diseases are preventable; preventive factors established around this age will determine the person's dental health for many years to come. The inclusion of oral health education in Anganwadi centers can be helpful in prevention of dental diseases.

Cherian SA, Joseph E, et al. Empowerment of Anganwadi Workers in Oral Health Care: A Kerala Experience. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(4):268-272.