Development of a Sustainable Follow-up Model for Early Childhood Caregivers on Behavioral Changes and Impact on Children's Oral Health Status for Dental Caries Prevention at Huai Mek Hospital, Kalasin Province
Keywords:
follow-up model, early childhood caregivers, oral health behaviorAbstract
This action research, aimed to develop a follow-up model for early childhood caregivers and to evaluate changes in caregivers’ oral health behaviors and children’s oral health status. The study was conducted at the Dental Department, Huaimek Hospital, Kalasin Province, from October 2025 to September 2026 in three phases: a needs assessment among 30 caregivers, model development with five dental personnel, and a six-month implementation with 45 caregiver-child pairs (children aged 3-5 years at risk of dental caries). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, McNemar’s test, and content analysis. The model had four components: shared goal setting, multichannel continuous follow-up, feedback and reinforcement, and a support network. After implementation, caregivers’ knowledge scores increased by 4.45 points (95% CI 3.73-5.17; p < .001) and practice scores by 6.43 points (95% CI 5.26-7.60; p < .001). The proportion of caregivers brushing their child’s teeth twice daily rose from 40.00% to 82.22%. Children’s plaque index decreased by 0.77 (95% CI -0.93 to -0.61; p < .001) and gingivitis decreased from 62.22% to 28.89%. However, mean dmft increased by 0.13 (95% CI 0.01-0.25; p = .035) because of new caries in 11.11% of children. Caregiver satisfaction was at the highest level (4.56±0.41). Behavioral and plaque outcomes improved after six months, but without a comparison group or post-program follow-up, causal effects and sustainability cannot be concluded.
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