Caretakers' Self-Selected Oral Health Goals: Self-Efficacy, Perceived Compliance, and Effect on Recall Attendance.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe caretakers' self-selected pediatric oral health goals, self-reported compliance, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived barriers to goal accomplishment. The effect of self-management plans on recall attendance was also evaluated.

Methods: Fifty caretaker-patient pairs who presented for examinations at a university pediatric dental clinic were assigned to an intervention group. Fifty age-matched subjects were assigned to the comparison group. At baseline both groups completed a demographic survey. The intervention group developed a self-management plan and selected oral health goals. Follow-up surveys were administered to the intervention group two weeks and six months later.

Results: The most frequently selected oral-health goals were brush twice daily (21 percent) and toothbrush before bed (17 percent). At the two-week follow-up, 39 percent of contacted caretakers recalled their chosen goals correctly, compared to 26 percent at six months. Approximately half of the participants in both groups attended the six-month follow-up visit. The difference in recall attendance between intervention and comparison group was not significant (P=0.80).

Conclusions: Caretakers most frequently selected goals that were associated with toothbrushing. They initially reported high confidence levels; however, recall and compliance with self-selected oral-health goals decreased significantly over the course of six months.