Parental-oriented educational mobile messages to aid in the control of early childhood caries in low socioeconomic children: A randomized controlled trial

Autor(es)

Lotto, Matheus ^[1] ; Strieder, Anna Paola ^[1] ; Ayala Aguirre, Patricia Estefania ^[1] ; Oliveira, Thais Marchini ^[1] ; Andrade Moreira Machado, Maria Aparecida ^[1] ; Rios, Daniela ^[1] ; Cruvinel, Thiago ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Pediat Dent Orthodont & Publ Hlth, Bauru Sch Dent, Alameda Dr Octavio Pinheiro Brisolla 9-75, BR-17012901 Bauru, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Journal of Dentistry; v. 101, OCT 2020.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of educational messages as an aid in the control of early childhood caries (ECC) in low socioeconomic children. Methods: A single-blinded, randomized, and parallel-group study was conducted with 104 dyads of parents and children aged between 36-60 months, recruited in preschools from Baum, Brazil. The participants were randomly allocated into control and intervention groups (1:1), stratified by parental eHealth literacy scores (eHEALS) and children's caries experience. Every 2 weeks, text messages were sent to parents of intervention group via WhatsApp. Visible plaque index (VPI) and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-ups, while eHEALS and dietary habits were determined at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed to intra and intergroup comparisons through Fischer's exact and McNemar tests, and Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests, respectively (P < 0.05). Results: Despite similarities between groups, intervention increased parental eHEALS scores, influencing the reports about the children's consumption of sugar-free sweets and controlling the severity of ECC. Conclusion: Therefore, mobile text messages were effective to control the severity of ECC in low socioeconomic preschoolers, improving parental eHealth literacy and changing children's dietary patterns. Clinical significance: These findings demonstrate that parental-oriented WhatsApp messages can contribute to oral health education of socioeconomic vulnerable parents towards risk behavior changes to control ECC. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/25899-7 - Estudo clínico randomizado: avaliação da efetividade de um aplicativo para celulares como um auxiliar na prevenção da cárie precoce da infância
• Beneficiário: Matheus Lotto de Almeida Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado