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HABIT: Health visitors delivering Advice in Britain on Infant Toothbrushing - an early-phase feasibility study of a
Erin Giles1, Faye Wray2, Ieva Eskyte3
1School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK e.giles@leeds.ac.uk.
Objectives:
To conduct an early-phase feasibility study of an oral health intervention, Health visitors delivering Advice on Britain on Infant Toothbrushing (HABIT), delivered by Health Visitors to parents of children aged 9-12 months old.
Design:
A mixed-methods, early-phase, non-controlled, feasibility study.
Participants:
Recruitment consisted of Group A-HABIT-trained Health Visitors (n=11) and Group B-parents of children aged 9-12 months old about to receive their universal health check (n=35).
Setting:
Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Intervention:
A multidisciplinary team co-developed digital and paper-based training resources with health visitors and parents of young children. The intervention comprised of two components: (A) training for health visitors to deliver the HABIT intervention and (B) HABIT resources for parents, including a website, videos, toothbrushing demonstration and a paper-based leaflet with an oral health action plan.
Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures:
Recruitment, retention and intervention delivery were analysed as key process outcomes for Groups A and B. Group B demographics, self-reported toothbrushing behaviours, dietary habits and three objective measures of toothbrushing including plaque scores were collected at baseline, 2 weeks and 3 months post intervention.
Results:
HABIT intervention delivery was feasible. Although the intended sample size was recruited (Group A=11 and Group B=35) it was more challenging than anticipated. Retention of Group B participants to final data collection was satisfactory (n=26). Total compliance with toothbrushing guidelines at baseline was low (30%), but significantly improved and was maintained 3 months after the intervention (68%). Plaque scores improved post intervention and participants found video recording of toothbrushing acceptable. Dietary habits remained largely unchanged.
Conclusion:
This feasibility study has demonstrated that HABIT is an appropriate oral health intervention. Adaptions to the study design are recommended to maximise recruitment and data collection in a definitive study. These quantitative findings have demonstrated an early signal of impact for improved oral health behaviours for young children at high risk of decay.
Trial Registration Number:
ISRCTN55332414.
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