Dietary and oral hygiene intervention in secondary school pupils.
BACKGROUND
To enhance the well-being of secondary school pupils by improving their eating habits, especially school-based eating, a joint project, including oral health intervention, was conducted during the academic year 2007-2008.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to study the effect of a dietary intervention on schoolchildren's eating habits and laser fluorescence (LF) values of teeth.


METHODS
Twelve schools in three cities, Finland, were randomly assigned to be intervention and control schools. Two of the intervention schools were further assigned in the instruction of oral hygiene. In 2007 and 2008, the pupils (n=739 and 647, respectively) answered a questionnaire on dietary and oral health habits, and LF values on the occlusal surfaces of molars and premolars were determined.


RESULTS
The frequency of eating a warm meal and drinking water at school to quench thirst increased in the intervention schools but decreased in the control schools (P<0.001 and P=0.005, respectively). LF values in molars decreased in schools with dietary intervention only (P=0.024).


CONCLUSIONS
The 1-year dietary intervention was long enough to show improvement in eating habits and in habits for quenching thirst, and some decrease in the LF values of molars.
Anttonen
Vuokko
V
Department of Pedodontics, Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. vuokko.anttonen@oulu.fi
Seppä
Liisa
L
Niinimaa
Ahti
A
Hausen
Hannu
H
D001628:Beverages; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D002182:Candy; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control; D004326:Drinking; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005453:Fluorescence; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005502:Food; D005522:Food Services; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods; D014993:Xylitol / Q000008:administration & dosage
D013549:Sweetening Agents; D014993:Xylitol