Impact of the Brush Day & Night Programme on Oral Health Knowledge and Behaviour in Children

OBJECTIVES: School-based interventions can establish positive behaviours that reduce the likelihood of oral diseases later in life. The Brush Day & Night (BDN) programme is a 21-day school-based educational programme to promote good oral health behaviours. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the BDN programme on oral health knowledge and behaviour outcomes in children after the intervention as compared to a control group over 24 weeks. METHODS: This was a superiority cluster randomised trial of children aged 6-12 years from Indonesia (N = 2021) and Nigeria (N = 750). All children were provided with toothpaste and a toothbrush, and the intervention groups (N = 1107 and 439, respectively) received the 21-day BDN programme. Children were followed up at Weeks 3, 8, and 24 after the programme start date and completed a questionnaire addressing the objectives at all timepoints. Improvement in oral health knowledge and behaviour was calculated based on the percentage of positive change in answers and analysed based on a conditional logistic approach for each evaluation timepoint, compared with control, with a 95% CI. RESULTS: After 24 weeks, Indonesian children following the BDN programme presented with a 30% and 60% additional probability, respectively, of adequate timing of toothbrushing and of being aware of the importance of adequate toothbrushing frequency compared with control. In Nigeria, after 24 weeks, children following the BDN programme had a 92% and 73% higher probability of adequate toothbrushing frequency and of using fluoride toothpaste, respectively, compared with control. CONCLUSIONS: The BDN programme is effective at improving children's knowledge and behaviour compared with a control population.