EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONS ON KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF PREGNANT WOMEN TOWARDS ORAL HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN; A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effect of instruction on the level of knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards oral and dental health care for their children.

Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial with pretest-posttest, 120 pregnant women presenting to a health care center in Jajrood County were enrolled. After filling out the knowledge and attitude questionnaire, mothers were randomly divided into equal groups of intervention and control. Intervention group mothers participated in instructional sessions on oral and dental health. After two months, both groups filled out the same questionnaire again. The knowledge and attitude scores acquired by mothers were separately calculated and compared with the baseline values. Data were analyzed using the Mann Whitney and t-tests in SPSS version 19 software.

Results: The mean (standard deviation) of baseline knowledge score was 27.0(12) in the intervention and 26.6 (14) in the control group. These values two months after the intervention were 67.7(16) and 28.9(12) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The mean baseline attitude score was 48.3(8) and 49.3(10) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. These values after the intervention were 83.2(16) and 49.3(7) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Comparison of the mean scores of knowledge and attitude after the intervention with the baseline values revealed significant differences for both knowledge (p<0.001) and attitude (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Based on the results, health instructions enhanced the knowledge and attitude of mothers towards oral and dental health care of children.