Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial

Background & Aim: Oral hygiene instructions are routinely provided at schools by health mentors and dentists. Recently, oral hygiene instruction by peers has gained popularity. This study aimed to compare the effect of oral hygiene instruction by dentists and peers on the level of knowledge of t...

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Main Authors: F Sayar, B Hatami, N Akhondi, E Amini, Sh Pourkarimkhani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Islamic Azad University 2020-08-01
Series:Journal of Research in Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jrdms.dentaliau.ac.ir/article-1-277-en.html
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author F Sayar
B Hatami
N Akhondi
E Amini
Sh Pourkarimkhani
author_facet F Sayar
B Hatami
N Akhondi
E Amini
Sh Pourkarimkhani
author_sort F Sayar
collection DOAJ
description Background & Aim: Oral hygiene instructions are routinely provided at schools by health mentors and dentists. Recently, oral hygiene instruction by peers has gained popularity. This study aimed to compare the effect of oral hygiene instruction by dentists and peers on the level of knowledge of twelve-year old children. Methods and Materials: In this interventional randomized clinical trial, four schools were randomly selected. The level of oral health knowledge of students was assessed by a pretest. Oral hygiene instructions were then provided by dentists in control schools and by peer mentors in test schools. Knowledge of students about oral health was evaluated in the two groups immediately and after 1 month post instruction. The mean test scores were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and compared between the groups using two-way and repeated measures ANOVA.   Results: Oral hygiene instruction enhanced the overall knowledge of students about oral health immediately and at one month after the instruction compared with baseline in both groups (P<0.05). The overall knowledge score of students in the test group was higher than that of the control group immediately and at 1 month after the instruction (P<0.05). Conclusions: It appears that oral hygiene instruction by peer mentors can effectively increase knowledge acquisition with regard to oral health-related topics. Thus, peer mentoring in health-related topics is recommended as a practical and cost-effective approach. Considering the different pattern of learning in boys, repetition and reinforcement of instruction can promote their knowledge level in long-term.
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spelling doaj.art-b160381baf14440d820f6213ce78c5e12022-12-21T21:29:04ZengIslamic Azad UniversityJournal of Research in Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences2383-27542020-08-01532632Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical TrialF Sayar0B Hatami1N Akhondi2E Amini3Sh Pourkarimkhani4 Associate Professor, Periodontology Dept, Dental Faculty, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran PhD in Community Oral Health Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University private practice private practice Background & Aim: Oral hygiene instructions are routinely provided at schools by health mentors and dentists. Recently, oral hygiene instruction by peers has gained popularity. This study aimed to compare the effect of oral hygiene instruction by dentists and peers on the level of knowledge of twelve-year old children. Methods and Materials: In this interventional randomized clinical trial, four schools were randomly selected. The level of oral health knowledge of students was assessed by a pretest. Oral hygiene instructions were then provided by dentists in control schools and by peer mentors in test schools. Knowledge of students about oral health was evaluated in the two groups immediately and after 1 month post instruction. The mean test scores were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and compared between the groups using two-way and repeated measures ANOVA.   Results: Oral hygiene instruction enhanced the overall knowledge of students about oral health immediately and at one month after the instruction compared with baseline in both groups (P<0.05). The overall knowledge score of students in the test group was higher than that of the control group immediately and at 1 month after the instruction (P<0.05). Conclusions: It appears that oral hygiene instruction by peer mentors can effectively increase knowledge acquisition with regard to oral health-related topics. Thus, peer mentoring in health-related topics is recommended as a practical and cost-effective approach. Considering the different pattern of learning in boys, repetition and reinforcement of instruction can promote their knowledge level in long-term.http://jrdms.dentaliau.ac.ir/article-1-277-en.htmlhealth promotionknowledgeoral health educationpeer groupstudents.
spellingShingle F Sayar
B Hatami
N Akhondi
E Amini
Sh Pourkarimkhani
Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
Journal of Research in Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences
health promotion
knowledge
oral health education
peer group
students.
title Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
title_full Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
title_fullStr Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
title_short Efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist-led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health: A Clinical Trial
title_sort efficacy of peer mentoring versus dentist led instruction for knowledge enhancement about oral health a clinical trial
topic health promotion
knowledge
oral health education
peer group
students.
url http://jrdms.dentaliau.ac.ir/article-1-277-en.html
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