[Primary Care and oral health promotion: Assessment of an educational intervention in school children].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short and medium term effectiveness of a Primary Care-driven oral health promotion intervention.

DESIGN: A non-randomised community intervention trial.

SETTING: Three socio-demographically similar primary schools of a deprived neighborhood in Granada, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-two intervention and 109 control students aged 5 to 6, as well as the teachers and the parent's association of the intervention school (IS) participated in the study.

INTERVENTION: School-based health promotion activities aimed at students, and regular meetings with the teachers and parents of the IS during 2 consecutive years.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Students' oral health-related knowledge and behavior, assessed via questionnaires distributed before the intervention, and 6 and 18 months afterwards.

RESULTS: Compared to the control groups at 18 months, students belonging to the IS reported enhanced oral health knowledge (OR 3.54; 95% CI 1.46-8.58), and an increased consumption of healthy food at breakfast (OR 2.95; 95% CI 1.26-6.89) and during mid-afternoon snack (OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.49-9.05). A significant decrease was seen in the intake of pastries (OR 4.05; 95% CI 1.68-9.81) and sweetened soft drinks and juices (OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.57-9.12) amongst intervention compared to control students in the medium term (18 months). No significant improvements were observed concerning oral hygiene in the IS.

CONCLUSIONS: School-based educational interventions, when developed through an intersectoral and participative approach and considering the socio-economic context, appear to be effective in improving students' diet-related knowledge and behaviors.