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 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 group 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.