Effectiveness of trained health workers in improving the oral hygiene of preschool children.

Background: Poor oral health among children is common finding in the rural regions of India. But if the existent structure of primary health care is used, favourable oral health habits and importance of oral health can be instilled in the children and their parents at a very early stage.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Anganwadi workers (AWWs) in improving the oral hygiene of the preschool children through oral health education.

Material And Methods: 250 children in the age group of 2.5-6 years, were included in the study. The study was conducted in three phases over a period of 8 months which included a follow up of six months. Baseline oral health was determined using a questionnaire assessing the oral hygiene practices and DMFT Index, Plaque Index and Gingival Index. This was re-assessed after 6 months using the same questionnaire and indices. Statistical significance was fixed at p value Ł 0.05. Chi square and paired 't' test were used to assess the difference in the variables after providing oral health education.

Results: Out of 250 children, with mean age of 4.24 years, majority were girls (142, 56.8%). The use of fluoridated toothpaste among the study population significantly increased from 34.4% to 41.5% (p=0.001) with the intervention of oral health education (OHE). Decrease in consumption of sticky sugar, addition of sugar in the night-feeds and cleaning of teeth after night-feeds were also found to change significantly. Gingival index showed significant reduction after OHE (p=0.001).

Conclusion: The study revealed that training of Anganwadi workers (AWWs) could be used to improve the oral health of the Anganwadi children. They represent an untapped source for delivering oral care to rural communities that otherwise have limited access.