Date of Graduation
2002
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
Committee Chair
Christina DeBiase
Abstract
The people of Guastatoya, Guatemala have received minimal dental intervention and their dental needs have never been assessed. The purpose of this study was to assess the dental health needs of the children (ages four to seven) residing in this town. Based on these needs an oral hygiene education program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. A systematic sample resulted in 32 participants. The effectiveness of this three-phase study (assessment, disease control intervention, and post-assessment) was determined by utilizing four indices (DMFS, defs, OHI-S, and P-M-A). All subjects received oral bacterial plaque removal. Oral health education was provided to the experimental group only. Results indicated that intervention played a statistically significant role in the improvement of the oral health of this population. It can be concluded that professional plaque control is paramount to improved oral health. Education and access to oral hygiene aids are important, but less significant in this study.
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Heather Denise, "An oral hygiene education program based on an assessment of the oral health needs of children ages four to seven in Guastatoya, Guatemala." (2002). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 10685.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10685