Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of educational interventions on dental and oral health promotion in Iran

INTRODUCTION: Dental and oral health is a core component of general health and well-being. Few aspects of health are as accessible to personal control as oral hygiene which can be improved by simple behavioral changes. In recent years, dentists in the field of oral and dental health improvement have been research doing for measurement of validity and efficiency of available educational interventions. In this regard, meta-analysis integrates the results of different studies then determines the effect size of educational interventions. This study seeks to investigate the effective educational interventions on improving oral and dental health improvement in Iran by following the meta-analysis model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present research was a meta-analysis study. This research by using the technique of meta-analysis to integrate the results of different studies, to determine the effect size of an educational intervention on improving oral and dental health improvement in Iran. Seventeen studies accepted in methodology were collected in Iran during 2001–2018, and analyzed through meta-analysis. The research tool was meta-analysis checklist. Effect size for each study was manually calculated. RESULTS: The study findings showed that the rate of the effect size of educational intervention on Improving Oral and Dental Health Improvement in Iran was 0.62 (P ≤ 0.008) which according to Cohen's table was intermediate. CONCLUSION: Findings of this meta-analysis support of the effectiveness of educational interventions on improving oral and dental health improvement in Iran. It seems that the educational interventions on improving dental and oral health can be used as a method for improving oral and dental health in Iran.