Oral Health Education and Promotion Activities in Early Head Start

Oral Health Education and Promotion Activities in Early Head Start

College

College of Health Sciences

Program

Ph.D. Health Services Research

Publication Date

3-28-2019

Abstract

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a preventable chronic condition that continues to be a public health concern for stakeholders. Early head start (EHS) program, which consists of low-income children aged 0-3 years is one platform that can be used to promote oral health education and promotion activities. However, evaluation of EHS programs application of oral health activities is inadequate. Purpose: To utilize a systematic review design to evaluate oral health education and promotion activities applied in EHS programs for staff, children, and caregivers in the U.S. Methods: Relevant databases such as CINAHL and PubMed were searched using key words to include: oral health, education, promotion, activities, early head start, and early childhood caries. Inclusion criteria for studies were quantitative studies related to oral health education and promotion activities in Early Head Start programs for staff, children and caregivers in the U.S. from 2000 to 2018. Studies were assessed for eligibility using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram (PRISMA). Eligible studies were evaluated independently by two researchers using Effective Public Health Practice Project’s quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. The tool evaluates selection bias, research design, intervention integrity, and data analyses of each article. Results: The initial search yielded 363 total articles screened for eligibility. Following the screenings, 5 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of the 5 articles, one was ranked strong, three were moderate, and one was classified as weak. Outcome measures were combined and classified into four categories: oral health knowledge, oral health education, oral health promotion, and oral health activities. Conclusions: From the studies reviewed, oral health education was promoted and incorporated within the Early Head Start programs. However, only five studies were identified that focused on caregivers and parents of children enrolled in EHS programs.

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Oral Health Education and Promotion Activities in Early Head Start


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