Educational intervention about deforming oral habits in schoolchildren from third grade with deforming oral habits

Abstract

Introduction: Deforming oral habits are very common in children. Although they can be considered normal up to two and a half years of age, they interfere with the normal development of the stomatognathic system, resulting in malocclusions.
Objective: To evaluate the level of knowledge about deforming oral habits.
Methods: A quasi-experimental study of educational intervention of the before-after type was carried out in 2023 on children from first to third grade at the Eugenio Montada School in the municipality of Guisa, province of Granma, who presented deforming oral habits. Theoretical, empirical, and statistical methods were used. Variables were defined: age, sex, presence of deforming oral habits, type of deforming oral habits, and level of knowledge. The population consisted of 120 children and the non-probabilistic sample of 87 schoolchildren who met the selection criteria. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test was used to determine the effectiveness of the before-and-after intervention.
Results: It was found that the level of knowledge before the intervention was evaluated as poor (82.76 %). After the intervention, the level of knowledge reached the category of good (62.06 %). The value (p) obtained in the investigation was statistically significant (0.0106) between both moments.
Conclusions: The level of knowledge before the intervention was assessed as poor, the most affected age was 8 years old, female. The educational intervention had a positive impact by raising the level of knowledge about deforming oral habits in children, which eradicated the practice of these bad habits that prevent the normal development of the stomatognathic system.
DeCS: HABITS; EDUCATION; HEALTH EDUCATION, DENTAL/ methods; CONTROLLED BEFORE-AFTER STUDIES; CHILD.