An assessment of dental health education in a baby clinic

Abstract

IN November and December 1990, a questionnaire was sent home to the parents of 256 3-year-old children attending nursery schools in Salford, UK; 197 questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 77 per cent. In addition, 200 of the children in the sample were given a dental examination at school. From the questionnaires, children were divided into two groups, an 'advice' group, whose parents remembered receiving dental health advice at a baby clinic in the inner city, and a 'no-advice' group whose parents did not. There were no significant differences between the groups in the percentages who drank sugary squashes, had their teeth brushed before their first birthday or went to the dentist for regular advice. However, in other respects the trends were encouraging, with 41 per cent of the advice group having taken fluoride supplements compared with 23 per cent of the no-advice group (p<0.05). It is concluded that providing dental advice in a baby clinic setting had improved certain aspects of dental health behaviour.