Oral Health Education for Children: A Delphi Study of Effectiveness

Abstract

Oral health is a primary component of health that can have a large impact on the overall health and wellbeing of a person, yet it is commonly overlooked. In the United States, dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood, even though it is highly preventable and treatable. Oral health education may help to lessen the burden of such oral health problems, and oral health education programs are widely available, but there is no standard for these programs and very little research has been done on whether or not these programs—especially the ones targeting children—are actually effective. In this pilot Delphi study, three key informants from different fields relating to pediatric oral health education were interviewed about the effectiveness of current oral health education programs for children. From their responses, consensus was developed and recommendations formed regarding further execution of and research into children’s oral health education programs.