The Effect of Oral Health Educational Intervention Program among Mothers of Children aged 1-6: Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Statement of the Problem: Oral self- care is one of the important accepts of lifestyle and a serious public health issues.  Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational program based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on mothers and children’s oral self-care behaviors. Materials and Method: This quasi‑experimental study was conducted on 148 mothers and their children aged 1–6 years who referred to the health centers of Tabriz, Iran, and divided into two groups: intervention (n=74) and control (n=74). Data were collected through a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, oral self-care behaviors and structures of TPB. Questionnaires were completed by both groups at before, immediately, 3 and 6 months after the intervention. The experimental group received three educational sessions, each session was held for 120 minutes. The educational methods such as lectures, group discussion, demonstrations were used. Data were analysed using SPSS (ver18) software and Chi-square, Independent samples t-test and repeated measure ANOVA at the significant level of 0.05). Immediately, 3 and 6 months after the intervention the mean scores of oral self-care behavior a significant increase in both mothers and their children in the intervention group (p< 0.001). In the experimental group, brushing children’s teeth twice a day increased significantly from 8.1% (6/74) to 55.4% (41/74) 6 months after the intervention (p< 0.001). Also, at immediately,3 and 6 months after the intervention, the mean scores of mothers’ attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention towards her children oral health were significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group (p< 0.001).   Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the intervention based on the theory of planned behavior improves both mothers and their children’s oral self-care behavior.