E-Learning for improving oral health of children.

Educational programs promoting oral health of schoolchildren. Dental caries has been considered to be a major public health problem for Syrian children, moreover, many challenges can be faced in providing access and delivering oral health care to children in Syria. Therefore, it is thought wise to increase preventative care in the form of school-based health education programs aiming at children. However, there are no previous studies that compare the effects of two different educational methods (E-learning versus leaflets) on oral health promotion geared for school children. So the present study aimed to determine if E-learning instructions improve the acquisition of oral health knowledge and skills when compared to traditional educational leaflets in children aged 10-11 years living in Damascus city. Also, to consequently determine which educational method can better direct the child towards practicing appropriate oral health care. The educational tools included: Arm 1- Leaflets: A colorful and attractive leaflet in the form of a short story named “Adnan likes the dentist” was designed by a graphic designer. The leaflets were designed with particular emphasis on creating interest amongst the children. These educational papers included information related to proper brushing technique and frequency; introduced the regular use of dental floss; emphasized regular dental visits as well as provided basic demonstration of dental plaque and the implications of not removing it. The leaflets also contained nutritional guidelines in regards to minimizing caries risk, and finally the role of fluoride in caries control. The leaflet is now provided in step 9, attachments 2 and 3. Arm 2- E-learning program: An E-learning program was designed by an expert in artificial intelligence. The program was full of colorful images, videos, interactive quizzes and age-related developmental tasks in the quest to deliver the information in an interactive, entertaining and simple manner. The E-learning program included the same information of the leaflet; only the way in which the content is conveyed to the children was different. The trial was conducted at two public primary schools of Damascus city, Syria. Schools were randomly allocated into two clusters: Children in Leaflet cluster received oral health education through leaflets, and children in E-learning cluster received oral health education through an E-learning program. A trained investigator with 5 years’ experience in Pediatric dentistry clinically examined all children in their classroom using mirror, probe and artificial light. This was performed without informing children about oral examination and intervention dates. Dental Plaque was assessed using Plaque Index (PI) for Silness and Löe. Gingival health was assessed using Gingival Index (GI) for Löe and Silness. After collecting the baseline data, oral health educational tools were provided (once) face to face to subjects in which leaflets were given to children in Leaflet cluster, whilst children in E-learning cluster were provided with CDs which contained instructions on how to access the website via the link www.oralhealthforchildren.com. The level of oral health knowledge, plaque accumulation and gingival status were also re-evaluated after a period of six weeks and also after twelve weeks by the same investigator. The investigator used a web tracker (statcounter.com) to be sure of the adherence of subjects visiting the website under investigation (oralhealthforchildren.com). As for Leaflet cluster, subjects were asked face to face if they did read the leaflet.