Evaluation of Oral Health Programmes at Schools in Soweto, SA

The National Oral Health surveys for South Africa (1989, 2003) indicate that dental disease continues to be a major public health problem. Limited resources imply that preventative strategies such as school educational programmes be considered as frontline interventions to improve the overall awareness and behavior of children at risk. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral health programme implemented at a public school in Soweto over a one year period. The objectives were to compare (1) knowledge levels of oral health (2) gingival health among pupils in the test and control schools. Methods: A school which had received an oral hygiene educational programme was randomly chosen from a list provided by the chief hygienist in Soweto. A control public school with similar demographics (gender, socio-economic status, race, age, location) which had not received this programme was selected for comparison. A 5-item questionnaire (close-ended) evaluated oral health knowledge and practice between the two groups. Gingival health was assessed using the O' Leary plaque index. Results: The test group consisted of (76) grade 3 pupils (8-10 yrs old; males: 35, females: 41) and the control groups had (76) grade 3 pupils (8-10 yrs old; males: 30 females; 46); 50% of pupils in the test school reported brushing their teeth twice a day versus 35% (P< 0.001) in the control, 20% in this group did not brush their teeth. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups using the oral health knowledge questions. The gingival health among pupils in the test school was significantly better than the control school (PI score 29% versus 59%; p< 0.001). Conclusion: The oral health programmes that were implemented at the test school improved oral health practice. There was a limited benefit in terms of oral health knowledge.