Self-Care Education in Oral Health : An intervention study among dental nurse students in Danang, Vietnam

Abstract: Aim:The aim of the thesis was to study the effect of a self-care education in oral health for a group of dental nurse students in Danang, Vietnam. Methods: A quantitative intervention study was performed consisting of 53 selected participants, who were clinically examined to measure the dental biofilm and gingival inflammation. The intervention was a self-care education session where both information and instruction about the materials and methods of self-care in toothbrush technique and interdental cleaning were included. Results: The self-care education in oral health proved to have an effect on the students' oral hygiene. There was a statistically significant difference between the first and the second examination of the gingival inflammation. No statistically significant difference was found between the first and second examination of dental plaque but plaque score of buccal, lingual and distal surfaces significantly decreased before the second examination.The results did not show any significant difference between the group from the rural area and the group from the urban area. Conclusion:The result of the study shows that the self-care education in oral health had a positive impact on the participant´s oral hygiene. It would be beneficial to develop a self-care educational program for the population in Vietnam to improve the oral hygiene.Through knowledge and information about good self-care habits and its positive effects, more people can achieve a better and healthier oral health as a result.