title: Recall of an oral health education programme by nursing personnel in special housing facilities for the elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the recall of oral health knowledge and confidence by nursing personnel in special housing facilities for the elderly, three years after an education programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional design using a questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  All nursing personnel, a total of 2,901 subjects, in five municipalities in south-western Sweden; of whom 950 had attended the programme. The response rate was 67% (1930 subjects).
  
  
  METHODS
  An oral health education programme consisting of four one-hour lessons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The oral health education programme still had an effect on the participants' attitudes towards oral health three years later. When comparing the trained group (OHEP+) which attended the programme with those who did not have training (OHEP-), the perceived ability, opportunity and the knowledge of oral health were significantly better in the former group, p < 0.01 Further, within the OHEP- group who did not attend the programme there was a significant difference in the perceived ability, opportunity and the knowledge of oral health between those with a higher level of health care education, p < 0.01.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of an oral health education programme on the participants' attitudes towards oral health persists at least for three years. The data indicate that trainees with a low level of health care education benefit most.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Promotion Research, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden. gun.paulsson@halmstad.mail.telia.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paulsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Söderfeldt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fridlund
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nederfors
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D009726:Nurses; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000193:education; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education*; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012649:Self Concept; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden