The effect of 2 teaching programs on the gingival health of 15-year-old schoolchildren

The present study evaluated the effect of 2 different dental health education programs on schoolchildren's gingival health and identified the subgroups best reached with these programs. The traditional program was the same as the yearly recurrent Dental Health Week (DHW)--comprising an informational package submitted to the teachers. The comprehensive program was in addition to the DHW-package, based on principles in social learning theory and research. Data from 15 schools in 5 municipalities, comprising 1167 students, were used. 1/3 of the children made up a reference group. Each subject was clinically examined 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after the intervention, and rated by using the non-bleeding papillae index (NBP). A questionnaire was completed by each of the 15-year-olds at the time of the second examination. The overall increase in NBP-index scores was from 38.9% to 43.1% in the traditional program and from 45.4% to 52.1% in the comprehensive one. The difference between the programs was not significant. After adjusting for social status variables, sex and initial bleeding, an effect of the comprehensive program appeared (p less than 0.01). The strongest effect of the comprehensive program was found among the schoolchildren with poor initial gingival health. Our findings support the theory of active participation, visualization and involvement of parents.