Key Points
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Asks the question, should PCTs place dental health educators with GDPs to give dental health education to parents of at-risk young children?
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Mothers received advice on toothbrushing, fluoride toothpaste and sugar control every 4 months for 2 years.
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Their children showed little difference in caries experience to a control group.
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Test group mothers had more knowledge, better attitudes and toothbrushing skills than controls.
Abstract
Aim To test the effectiveness of dental health educators in general dental practice.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and cost of primary care trusts seconding dental health educators free of charge to suitable general dental practices to provide dental health counselling to mothers of regularly attending pre-school children at risk to caries.
Method Two-cell, parallel group, cluster randomised, controlled clinical trial of two years' duration. Clinical setting: 30 general dental practices in North-West England. Participants: 269 mothers of 334 pre-school children. Interventions: Those in the test group were given visits to a dental health educator over a 2-year period to counsel mothers of at-risk, pre-school children. The rest were held as a control. Main outcome measures: Caries prevalence of the children and dental health knowledge, attitudes and toothbrushing skills of the parents. The full costs of the exercise were kept throughout. The statistical analysis controlled for the clustering of children within practices.
Results After 2 years, 271 (81%) children and 248 (92%) mothers remained in the study. There was an 18% difference in mean dmft between the groups in favour of the test group children but this was not statistically significant. At the end of the study there was an 18% difference in mean dmft between the groups in favour of the test group children but this was not statistically significant. No difference in plaque levels was found. The mothers in the test group were more knowledgeable, had better attitudes towards the dental health of their offspring and better toothbrushing skills than those in the control. Each 2-hour session to counsel ten parents cost £40.
Conclusion Primary care trusts should carefully consider the cost value of seconding dental health educators to counsel parents of regularly attending, at-risk, pre-school children when considering such an option.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ms S. Fuller and Mrs S. Webster for their help with the initial protocol, the general dental practitioners, parents and children who took part in the study and the National Primary Dental Care Research and Development Programme for funding the investigation. However, the authors take full responsibility for the accuracy of the data used and the views and opinions expressed which do not necessarily reflect those of the funding authority.
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Blinkhorn, A., Gratrix, D., Holloway, P. et al. A cluster randomised, controlled trial of the value of dental health educators in general dental practice. Br Dent J 195, 395–400 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4810566
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4810566
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