Effect of Two Educational Interventions Regarding the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries on Mothers of 8-Year-Old Children

Abstract

Objectives:

This study evaluated the effect of two educational interventions on knowledge and self-reported practice of mothers of 8-year-old children regarding emergency management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs).

Materials and Methods:

Six public elementary schools (girls and boys) in Tehran were randomly selected. The mothers of 8-year-old students at each school were randomly assigned to three groups: intervention by poster, intervention by pamphlet, and control. An anonymous valid and reliable questionnaire, including demographics, previous experience on TDIs, mothers’ knowledge, and self-reported practice about emergency management of TDIs was provided to the mothers. After collecting the questionnaires, educational interventions by poster and pamphlet with similar contents regarding step-by-step emergency management of TDIs were performed for the target groups. Three months after the interventions, the same questionnaire was completed by the mothers. The results of pre-test and post-test were compared.

Results:

Totally, 201 mothers participated in this study. The mean knowledge score significantly increased in the pamphlet group (P<0.05) after the intervention, while this change was not significant in the poster and control groups (P>0.05). The mean knowledge score was significantly higher in the pamphlet than the poster group (P=0.009). The mean self-reported practice score significantly increased after the intervention in both intervention groups (P<0.05) but not in the control group. There was no significant difference in the mean self-reported practice score between the two intervention groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion:

Both pamphlet and poster were equally effective in improving the self-reported practice of mothers regarding TDIs, which highlights the significance of educating mothers.