A psychological intervention for young adults with poor oral health

Objectives: Is a psychological intervention in combination with information about oral health more effective than information alone about oral health, in promoting oral health and changing oral health behavior and beliefs?
Methods: The RCT included n=135 18-25 years old patients with at least two manifest proximal caries lesions attending two Public Dental Service clinics (general practice clinics). The intervention was a Focused Acceptance and commitment therapy (FACT) modified to the specific conditions of a general practice dental clinic. The intervention included two individual sessions with a psychologist, and also the same information about oral health and caries that was given in the control group. Data was collected for both groups at 3, 9, 18, 52 weeks. Primary outcome variables presented here are plaque, gingivitis, oral health behavior. General linear models for repeated measures were used.
Results: Results presented are changes from baseline till the 18week follow-up. Less than 16% were lost to follow-up. Plaque and gingivitis showed a significant improvement over time (p<0.001, respectively), and a close to significant interaction effect with better improvement for both outcomes for the test group. With regard to dental care behaviors, significant and increased use of dental flossing were found (p<0.001) in both groups, with better behaviors in the test group.
Conclusions: This study revealed a clear pattern of improved oral health and oral health behaviors and even more so in the test group who received a psychological intervention.