Effect of Family-Based Dental Nursing Care on Maternal Oral Health Practices and Oral Hygiene Status among Primary School

Vollständiger Abstract

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Oral health problems remain highly prevalent among Indonesian schoolchildren, while effective oral hygiene in early primary school years remains strongly dependent on parental supervision. This study evaluated the effectiveness of family-based dental nursing care in improving maternal oral health behaviour and children’s oral hygiene in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group study was conducted among 84 mother–child pairs from two state primary schools, comprising 42 intervention and 42 control pairs. The intervention consisted of structured oral health education, toothbrushing demonstration and return demonstration, joint goal setting, and a 21-day supervised home programme, whereas controls received a printed educational module alone. Maternal knowledge, attitudes, and practices and children’s def-t and Patient Hygiene Performance–Modified (PHP-M) scores were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 21 days later. Within- and between-group changes were analysed using paired- and independent-samples t-tests with α = 0.05. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in maternal knowledge, attitudes, and practices and a substantial reduction in PHP-M scores from baseline to post-test II (mean change, −10.94 ± 2.58; p < 0.001), whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. A reduction in def-t was also observed in the intervention group but should be interpreted cautiously given the cumulative nature of the index and the short follow-up period. Family-based dental nursing care effectively improved maternal oral health behaviour and children’s oral hygiene and may provide a feasible family-engaged approach for strengthening promotive and preventive oral health services in primary school settings.