Evaluation of an Oral Health Promotion and Preventive Programme: A Case-Control Study

Purpose: To evaluate the oral health of children who were beneficiaries of a promotion and preventive programme for more than 6 years and to estimate the factors relating to their oral condition. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the total population comprised all 7- to 13-year-old children who attended the Paediatric Dentistry Centre of Reference Simón Bolívar (CROSB), a programme for students of the community of Viña del Mar, Chile. The case group was treated from the age of 7 to 13 years and controls were only seen at the age of 13 (had not been previously enrolled in the programme). The compilation of data was carried out through examination of clinical records. Statistical analysis included Fisher's Exact Test, the chi-square and Mantel-Haenszel tests to determine odds ratios, log-linear models to study some types of relationships between the different qualitative variables and Mood's Median Test for quantitative variables. Finally, a logit-type generalised linear model (GLM) was adjusted to estimate the probability of a caries-free child according to the different variables under study. Results: The main finding is that this programme does not successfully control the local risk factors of caries. The factors that jointly explain the presence of caries-free children were: non-participation in the programme, attending public school and the presence of sealed teeth. Conclusion: Even though the evaluated programme creates equity in the indicators of oral health among its beneficiaries, it does not reach the levels of oral health of the non-vulnerable population. It is recommended that this programme seek more effective tools. Keywords: children, oral health, preventive dentistry, programme evaluation