Methods: Medline (1950–2010) was used for the dental literature review, with subject headings ‘periodontal diseases', ‘health education, dental', ‘oral health', ‘health knowledge, attitudes, practice', ‘health behaviour', and ‘public opinion', limited to English articles with abstract, targeting adolescents (13 – 18 years). The education literature was reviewed using ERIC (1966–2010), A+ Education (1978–2010) and the Learning Federation with terms ‘educational philosophy', ‘behavior change', ‘learning processes', ‘learning philosophy' and ‘adolescents' limited to English articles, grade 7–8 population. Additional articles were obtained through hand and citation searching, yielding a total of 60 articles.
Results: Periodontal disease affects ~20% of Australians beginning during adolescence; yet no relevant educational program is available in the NSW school syllabus. Knowledge of disease factors is limited and misinformation about hygiene practice efficacy abounds. Motivation for behaviour change is predominantly cosmetic, with emphasis on social attractiveness to peers. ‘Magazine' design format and digital media delivery, which permits information access and reinforcement regardless of geographic location, are educational strategies most likely to encourage health interest and maintain behaviour change in 21st century students.
Conclusions: To improve adolescent knowledge of periodontal disease, an oral health campaign targeting appearance and social acceptability is required for digital integration within the NSW school curriculum.