IADR Abstract Archives
Health Promotors’ Caries-Risk-Control Program With Tele-Education in Four Colombian Municipalities
Objectives: To implement a tele-education strategy towards controlling caries risk in children, led by health promotors within the four-municipality homes in Colombia.
Methods: The tele-education intervention was mediated by information and communication technologies (ICT) following Colombian tele-health regulation. Sample: 28 health promotors in four Alliance-for-a-Cavity-Free-Future Colombian municipalities (Andes-Antioquia: n=10; Anapoima-Cundinamarca: n=6; Manizales-Caldas: n=6; Cali-Valle del Cauca: n=6) and 280 families, each with around three 1-17-year olds (n=1680). The strategy focused in controlling caries in children homes, including first, the design, implementation and assessment of a 4-module health-promotor caries-control tele-education course: 1.) Oral-health education, information, communication healthy-practice homecare strategies; 2.) Caries-risk assessment; 3.) Fluoride-varnish application; 4.) Health-promotor learning assessment. Afterwards, health promotors implemented the program within the families’ children. First visit included: 1. A via mobile social-demographical family characterization and children’s oral-health knowledges and practices identification, followed by the information, education, communication activity implementation. 2. Caries-risk assessment (CariesCare International system modified form). 3. Fluoride-varnish application. Six-month family recall assessment of the caries-risk-control effectiveness.
Results: Twenty-seven health promotors (96.4%) have successfully completed the tele-health course. So far, 73 families have received the first visit in Andes municipality; 33 children’s caries risk has been assessed: 98% being classified as high; fluoride-varnish has been applied in 71 children; families have qualified the experience as good-excellent (100%).
Conclusions: Tele-health has facilitated the implementation of a caries-risk-control strategy in children within their homes during pandemic times as well as the qualification of health promotors within their territories.
Methods: The tele-education intervention was mediated by information and communication technologies (ICT) following Colombian tele-health regulation. Sample: 28 health promotors in four Alliance-for-a-Cavity-Free-Future Colombian municipalities (Andes-Antioquia: n=10; Anapoima-Cundinamarca: n=6; Manizales-Caldas: n=6; Cali-Valle del Cauca: n=6) and 280 families, each with around three 1-17-year olds (n=1680). The strategy focused in controlling caries in children homes, including first, the design, implementation and assessment of a 4-module health-promotor caries-control tele-education course: 1.) Oral-health education, information, communication healthy-practice homecare strategies; 2.) Caries-risk assessment; 3.) Fluoride-varnish application; 4.) Health-promotor learning assessment. Afterwards, health promotors implemented the program within the families’ children. First visit included: 1. A via mobile social-demographical family characterization and children’s oral-health knowledges and practices identification, followed by the information, education, communication activity implementation. 2. Caries-risk assessment (CariesCare International system modified form). 3. Fluoride-varnish application. Six-month family recall assessment of the caries-risk-control effectiveness.
Results: Twenty-seven health promotors (96.4%) have successfully completed the tele-health course. So far, 73 families have received the first visit in Andes municipality; 33 children’s caries risk has been assessed: 98% being classified as high; fluoride-varnish has been applied in 71 children; families have qualified the experience as good-excellent (100%).
Conclusions: Tele-health has facilitated the implementation of a caries-risk-control strategy in children within their homes during pandemic times as well as the qualification of health promotors within their territories.