Event Title
An Evaluation of a School-Based Oral Health Education Event Among Elementary Students: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration of Stakeholders
Location
Loosemore Auditorium
Description
PURPOSE: Oral health and wellness education events have the potential to significantly decrease the impact of oral health disease. SUBJECTS: A stakeholder collaboration event including public schools, nationally based mobile dental unit, community dental partners, and MPH program brought free dental screenings and wellness education sessions to students in need. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An eight dimensions wellness education toolkit was designed with hands-on, age appropriate, wellness activities. MPH graduate students facilitated the wellness education activities connected to oral health. Facilitators were then invited to complete a 15-question Qualtrics survey related to their experience facilitating the event. ANALYSIS: A descriptive analysis was performed on the survey questions. RESULTS: N=18 facilitator participants were included in the sample. When asked to rate the effectiveness of the 8 dimensions of wellness activities and their connection to oral health, 76.4% of facilitators rated it to be very effective or moderately effective. Pre-event 43.8% of facilitators had a somewhat or far above average knowledge of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. Post-event, this percentage rose to 93.8%. Emerging themes from the facilitators included, an overall need for the event, and excitement and gratitude to participate in the wellness education activities. Sharing, there were student participants who indicated that their teeth hurt, they had not brushed their teeth that day, or they did not have a toothbrush at home. CONCLUSION: Overall the effectiveness of the wellness education activities served as a robust public health prevention tool to improve oral health behaviors among participants. Highlighting the need for such events and to connect participants to oral health resources through interdisciplinary stakeholder collaboration.
An Evaluation of a School-Based Oral Health Education Event Among Elementary Students: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration of Stakeholders
Loosemore Auditorium
PURPOSE: Oral health and wellness education events have the potential to significantly decrease the impact of oral health disease. SUBJECTS: A stakeholder collaboration event including public schools, nationally based mobile dental unit, community dental partners, and MPH program brought free dental screenings and wellness education sessions to students in need. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An eight dimensions wellness education toolkit was designed with hands-on, age appropriate, wellness activities. MPH graduate students facilitated the wellness education activities connected to oral health. Facilitators were then invited to complete a 15-question Qualtrics survey related to their experience facilitating the event. ANALYSIS: A descriptive analysis was performed on the survey questions. RESULTS: N=18 facilitator participants were included in the sample. When asked to rate the effectiveness of the 8 dimensions of wellness activities and their connection to oral health, 76.4% of facilitators rated it to be very effective or moderately effective. Pre-event 43.8% of facilitators had a somewhat or far above average knowledge of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. Post-event, this percentage rose to 93.8%. Emerging themes from the facilitators included, an overall need for the event, and excitement and gratitude to participate in the wellness education activities. Sharing, there were student participants who indicated that their teeth hurt, they had not brushed their teeth that day, or they did not have a toothbrush at home. CONCLUSION: Overall the effectiveness of the wellness education activities served as a robust public health prevention tool to improve oral health behaviors among participants. Highlighting the need for such events and to connect participants to oral health resources through interdisciplinary stakeholder collaboration.