Evaluation of an Oral Hygiene Education Program for Staff Providing Long-Term Care Services: A Mixed Methods Study

Background Oral hygiene is often neglected in clients receiving long-term care, suggesting that long-term care workers require formal oral hygiene education. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of oral hygiene education on long-term care workers. Methods This study utilized a mixed methods design. Eighty long-term care workers were recruited for participation in the oral hygiene education program, which employed three teaching methods: narration with multimedia presentation, demonstration, and teach-back. The effect of the education program on the participants' level of oral hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and skills was measured using a structured questionnaire that was administered both pre- and post-delivery of the education program. Three months later, all participants submitted a self-report of their oral hygiene skills, and six participants completed a telephone interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t-tests, and qualitative data were manually analyzed and coded. Results Scores of oral hygiene knowledge (p Conclusions This preliminary study suggests that oral hygiene education may be effective in improving oral hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and skills among long-term care staff.