Benefits of Oral Health Education at Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Clinic Visits: Assessments of Parent's Oral Health Beliefs, Behaviors and Dental Access in O'ahu, Hawai'i.

Improving oral health outcomes in Hawai'i for children and families remains a high priority. Children in the state are leading the nation with the highest caries rates, while women before, during, and after pregnancy are failing to receive regular and necessary dental care resulting in poor health outcomes. To answer for this need, an educational intervention was conducted among families enrolled in the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children's Women, Infant, and Children program (WIC) in O'ahu. The project included the following activities: (1) identification the oral health beliefs and behaviors of families, (2) providing oral health education to families, and (3) reassessing beliefs and behaviors in 3-6 months to document the impact of theeducation session. Participants consisted of 81 families resulting in the data on 176 children and 4 pregnant women. Of the 81 families, 40 representing84 children completed the follow-up oral health questionnaire. Results of the assessment and education demonstrated a positive impact on the family's oral health behaviors. Parents were 6.61 times as likely to report using fluoride toothpaste in the follow-up visit compared to their initial visit (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.12-14.00). Additionally, statistically significant changes were noted in the frequency of children's daily tooth brushing (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.33-3.46), as well as in the incidence of children receiving fluoride varnish application over time (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.50-4.73). These results provide further evidence that initiating a simple educational intervention can have a positive impact on oral health behaviors in groups that are at highest risk for developing dental disease in Hawai'i.