Table 3.
Details of the studies included with their main findings
| Category | Number of papers included | Types of intervention | Papers showing positive effect | Papers showing no effect | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaque removal/gingival health | 3 | Leaflets, videotapes, verbal, written, puzzles, supervised toothbrushing | 3 | 0 | Short-term effectiveness of school-based intervention in improving oral cleanliness and gingival health. Verbal oral-health education more effective than written |
| Caries | 1 | Demonstration of toothbrushing | 1 | 0 | Toothbrushing is effective in vulnerable groups |
| Toothbrushing skills | 2 | Demonstration of toothbrushing | 2 | Tutoring by older peers and general health educators can also demonstrate the ignificant improvement in brushing skills | |
| Knowledge, attitude and behaviours | 1 | Health education through videos, plays, posters | 1 | 1 (attitude and knowledge) | Children improved oral health-related behaviours but not attitude and knowledge |
| Combination | 2 (KAB and plaque) 1 (caries and plaque) 1 (caries, improving oral hygiene, positive oral health-related behaviour) |
Various methods of health-education lectures, group discussions, puppet plays, supervised toothbrushing | 4 | Oral health education programmes conducted at 3-week intervals were more effective than those conducted at 6-week intervals in improving oral health knowledge |
KAB, Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviors.