Abstract
It has been reported that the acquisition of Self-Management Skills (SMS) is effective for the improvement of health behaviors. We introduced Brushing Behavior of SMS (BBS), whereby we applied SMS to brushing behavior as a component of an oral health education program at a workplace, and investigated the effectiveness of the program to prevent lifestyle-related diseases.
The first self-administered questionnaire containing questions on BBS, SMS, dental health behaviors, and subjective symptoms of periodontal disease was administered to 331 workers. These subjects were divided into an intervention group (n=61) and control group (n=270). One month after the baseline, a feedback oral health education program corresponding to the individual abilities of BBS was provided for the intervention group three times over 6 months. A second questionnaire was administered to all subjects 1 year after the baseline.
Total scores for BBS (P<0.001) and SMS (P<0.05) in the intervention group increased significantly after 1 year, but there was no such increase in the control group. The scores for 8 of 16 items of BBS and 2 of 10 items of SMS increased significantly in the intervention group (P<0.05). The rates of using an interdental brush (P<0.001) and having a subjective symptom of periodontal disease (P<0.05) improved significantly in the intervention group. However, the scores for 2 items of BBS and 1 item of SMS increased significantly in the control group (P<0.05). No dental health behavior or subjective symptom of periodontal disease showed a significant improvement in the control group.
It is suggested that an oral health education program using BBS improves symptoms of periodontal disease and may promote behaviors that could prevent lifestyle-related diseases.
