Oral Health Education Program
Condition: Dental Caries; Oral Hygiene; Oral Health; Dental Health
MeSH terms: Dental Caries
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether an oral health education program that is
      tailored to caregivers' understanding and acceptance of information on how to prevent tooth
      decay will lead to improvement in behaviors conducive to good oral health and reduction in
      tooth decay in his or her children.
    

Detailed description: 
      The Detroit Dental Health Project (DDHP) is a seven-year research study designed to identify
      the determinants of variation in prevalence and incidence of dental caries among low-income
      African-American children in Detroit. The children were randomly selected from housing units
      located in the lowest income areas (less than 250% of the poverty line). After over a year of
      preparation and testing, the DDHP listed over 18,000 housing and non-housing units in 118
      randomly selected low-income neighborhoods in Detroit. A total of 12,000 housing units were
      randomly sampled and contacted over a period of one year (September 2001 - August 2002) in
      order to recruit a representative sample of African American children. Field interviewers
      contacted the selected housing units. The recruitment process located and scheduled around
      1,400 families to visit the Dental Assessment Center (DAC). Of those, 1,021 visited the DAC
      and completed examinations and interviews (Phase I).

      The long-term objective of this project is to develop an effective multi-component
      tailored/targeted behavioral intervention to promote and maintain good oral health and
      prevent oral diseases among low-income children. To achieve this, a multimedia-based
      multi-level intervention has been designed to be easy to use and easy to disseminate for
      large-scale use.

      The efficacy of the Multi-Component Tailored/Targeted Intervention that will be delivered
      using motivational interviewing and a targeted educational video designed and produced for
      the specific population in comparison with the non-tailored health education (targeted
      educational video only - control group) will be tested in a randomized controlled trial. In
      Phase II of the Detroit Dental Health Project, the 1,021 low-income African Americans
      recruited will be randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups. A dental
      examination will provide the baseline measurement and changes in the outcomes will be
      assessed in the follow-up examination after two years. Participants in the control and
      intervention groups will complete a questionnaire about their oral health and related
      behaviors. Participants in the control group will receive standard oral hygiene and caries
      risk counseling using only the educational video without any motivational interviewing
      (equivalent to a counseling session conducted by a dentist).

      The 1,021 families have been randomized using a list of randomly generated numbers. The
      allocation of the assignment is being concealed from the analysis team and the examining
      dentist. After each session, the participants receive a "recipe" for oral health with a
      picture of their child. The control group participants receive a standard plan; whereas the
      caregivers in the intervention group receive the specific plan they have developed with the
      motivational interviewer.

      After the intervention/control session, the participants are being followed by telephone
      contact to review the progress in oral health behaviors and answer questions. Follow-up
      questionnaires will be administered after 2-4 weeks, at 6 months, and 2 years after the
      intervention/control session.
    

Intervention name(s): Motivational interviewing; Targeted DVD-based educational program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single