Jalaleddin H Hamissi.
A comparative study of different oral hygiene instruction programmes of tooth brushing for nursery school children.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;16(4):181-4.

OBJECTIVE: Oral health educational programs have been reported to have a variable impact on the oral health status of program participants. This paper reports the impact of an educational oral health program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three different methods of instruction and motivation were used to assess the learning process and ability of preschool children in performing tooth brushing. Twenty children with good general health from a public nursery 5-6 years old. The methods of instruction and reinforcement were applied as following: I - audiovisual; II - child as a model; III - individual instruction. Professional prophylaxis was then performed and the children remained 48 hours without any oral hygiene performance. Plaque disclosing and plaque index were carried out and recorded. The children subsequently brushed their teeth according to each method of instruction and following new plaque index was recorded. The data analyzed statistically using the Student t-test and the comparison of two proportions. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that the children had reduced plaque index and that the individual instruction method was superior (p<0.05) to the others in both ages. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the effectiveness of the procedures in teaching young children is essential to their future health. And children older than 5 years of age were able to learn and accomplish tooth brushing better than younger children.

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