Evaluation of  community oral health education programme in Cape Town

Methods: The programme has been modelled on the ‘Fit for School’ programme, which has been initiated in the Philippines.  Conducted over 6 months, children were provided with a toothbrush at school and participated in daily supervised tooth brushing sessions.  Workshops for teachers working with the designated schools were held to facilitate the programme implementation.  The workshops involved basic oral hygiene training and an exploration on how the programme can be adapted to suit different school environments and routines.  The teachers played a key role in contributing to the development of the programme.  Insights into the teacher’s personal experiences were collected on field visits which took place in August 2013.  In November 2013 the teachers were also invited to attend a conference to feedback their experiences of the programme. The schools were inspected to evaluate the implementation of the programme.  Collectively these findings provide a valuable source of qualitative insight.    

Results: The programme has had unexpected far-reaching benefits.  Not only has the oral health of the children improved, but the teacher’s self-esteem has developed.  This has benefited the children, schools and wider communities. 

Conclusion: The programme continues to progress well and plans are being made to expand the programme across the Western Cape region.