Education intervention with respect to the oral health knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of refugee families: A randomized clinical trial of effectiveness

OBJECTIVES: The study assessed the effectiveness of an oral health educational and behavioral intervention program in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of refugee families. METHODS: This randomized 2‐arms, controlled, single site, clinical trial assessed the dental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to oral health at baseline and three times over the course of the 6 months of the intervention in recent refugee families. Participating families were educated on five topics in oral health in two 1‐hour sessions utilizing existing oral health education materials adapted to be linguistically and culturally appropriate for demonstration and instruction. Culturally competent techniques and motivational interviewing styles were also implemented during sessions. Pre/post surveys were used to assess changes to knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among refugee family participants. RESULTS: Out of the 66 families enrolled in the program, 52 (72 percent) completed visits over the course of 6 months. Differences between the intervention and control groups were not significant between baseline and 3 to 6 months later (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A short‐term, culturally informed oral health educational and behavioral intervention program did not improve oral health‐related knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors in a diverse group of recent refugee families.