Brushing Up on Oral Health: Childhood Oral Health Education in Ellensburg
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 201
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Community, Health, Education
Abstract
The intent of this service learning project was to develop and execute a health promotion strategy that would improve dental health behavior of first-grade students. The objectives of our promotion were as follows: to survey existing oral health behaviors; teach the importance of dental health; explain the effects of healthy and unhealthy snacks on dental health; teach proper brushing techniques; facilitate positive attitudes towards healthy behavior; present a fun, age-appropriate curriculum; provide tools to support a sustainable change in health behavior; and assess program efficacy. We met our objectives by first creating an interactive and age-appropriate curriculum for the first grade pilot class to which we presented, n=70. We then surveyed the pre-existing dental habits of these students by using a “heads down, hands up” method, in an attempt to eliminate peer influence on student responses. Next, we presented information on the importance of good, consistent dental habits, and healthy snacking. We demonstrated proper brushing techniques, gave the students toothbrushes and toothpaste, and guided them through practicing the techniques they had just learned. We closed our presentation by re-surveying the students and found that they had a significant increase in skills and knowledge. Not only did our data indicate that our health promotion strategy was effective, but the fact that we were asked to come back and present to three additional classes spoke to the overall success of this presentation.
Recommended Citation
Bates, Lindsey; Leger, Katie; Curran, Daniel; and Olsen, Casey, "Brushing Up on Oral Health: Childhood Oral Health Education in Ellensburg" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 14.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/14
Department/Program
Physical Education, School & Public Health
Additional Mentoring Department
Physical Education, School & Public Health
Brushing Up on Oral Health: Childhood Oral Health Education in Ellensburg
SURC 201
The intent of this service learning project was to develop and execute a health promotion strategy that would improve dental health behavior of first-grade students. The objectives of our promotion were as follows: to survey existing oral health behaviors; teach the importance of dental health; explain the effects of healthy and unhealthy snacks on dental health; teach proper brushing techniques; facilitate positive attitudes towards healthy behavior; present a fun, age-appropriate curriculum; provide tools to support a sustainable change in health behavior; and assess program efficacy. We met our objectives by first creating an interactive and age-appropriate curriculum for the first grade pilot class to which we presented, n=70. We then surveyed the pre-existing dental habits of these students by using a “heads down, hands up” method, in an attempt to eliminate peer influence on student responses. Next, we presented information on the importance of good, consistent dental habits, and healthy snacking. We demonstrated proper brushing techniques, gave the students toothbrushes and toothpaste, and guided them through practicing the techniques they had just learned. We closed our presentation by re-surveying the students and found that they had a significant increase in skills and knowledge. Not only did our data indicate that our health promotion strategy was effective, but the fact that we were asked to come back and present to three additional classes spoke to the overall success of this presentation.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Tishra Beeson