Page 29 - FINAL COMPENDIUM 2020-2021 27.2.2022

IMPACT OF ORAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTION ON THE ORAL HEALTH
STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG TODDLERS IN MALAYSIA
NMRR-18-901-40126

Siti Zuriana MZ

Introduction: Oral hygiene practices such as tooth brushing and periodic dental visit
should be commenced early in the childhood. Objective: To evaluate the impact of Oral
Health Promotion and Prevention Programme in the nurseries with the aim to observe
the improvement of toddlers’ quality of life. Materials and methods: This observational
study involved 689 toddlers aged 0 – 4 years old and their parents in Federal Territory of
Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya from January to December 2018. The toddlers were divided
into intervention (n=336) and control group (n=353). The dedicated promotion team
performed oral examinations on these toddlers and administered the Malay-ECOHIS
questionnaires to their parents. Questionnaires on oral health promotion activities were
given to 262 teachers. Data were analysed by chi squared test, t-test and ANOVA. Results:
There was a slight decrease in decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) after intervention
by DPT. However, oral health promotion materials was not available in 41.7% of nurseries
and 56.7% did not even conduct activities to promote oral health. Almost half (43.3%) of
teachers did not convey oral health knowledge during school activities. Although the
toddlers’ tooth brushing frequency improved significantly, their oral cleanliness
worsened. Conclusion: Oral health promotion and prevention programme had impact on
toddlers’ oral health status and quality of life. However, there was no significant
difference in the ECOHIS scores. In addition to current activities, the oral health promotion
programme should include good collaboration among parents, teachers and nurseries’
providers.

nd
Oral presentation at the 22 NIH Scientific Conference 2021 on 21-23 September 2021
Dr Siti Zuriana binti Mohd Zamzuri
Oral Health Programme
Ministry of Health, Malaysia

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