The effectiveness of school-based dental programmes to prevent dental caries and increase oral awareness in schoolchildren: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is the most widespread noncommunicable disease and is a major public health problem globally. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based dental prevention programmes to promote the prevention of dental caries and increase oral awareness among primary school children. Method: Searches for this systematic review were carried out in the MEDLINE, PubMed and CINAHL databases. The searches included studies published during the last five years (2014-2019) and in the English language. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, studies were reviewed and selected. The review used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool to assess the quality of the included studies. Data analysed followed a thematic analysis approach. Result: Fifty-three studies were identified from the electronic search. After screening, only eight studies met the eligibility criteria. Most of the interventions in the eight studies showed a reduction in dental caries and increase awareness among school children. The types of interventions in the studies were diverse. Reported interventions included one or more of the following; dental sealant, fluoride application, supervised tooth brushing and oral health education. Following thematic analysis, three themes were identified; Issues related to parental involvement, human resources and research targeted individuals at high risk for caries and disadvantages group. Conclusion: This review showed that school-based dental programmes can be effective to reduce the level of dental caries and increase oral awareness among school-aged children. However, oral health education programmes in school settings are not efficient in decreasing the caries incidence in children but improve some of the issues about oral health knowledge. This review found that parents and teachers involvement play an essential role in school-based dental caries prevention and other health interventions.