Effects of the Health Literacy Promotion Program on Quality Tooth Brushing Behavior of Students in Border Patrol Police School, Health Reginal 8

Abstract

School-aged children in Thailand, particularly those in remote areas, continue to face significant oral health problems and limited access to health promotion services. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a health literacy promotion program on oral health behaviors and outcomes among students in Border Patrol Police Schools. Sixty participants were recruited and equally assigned to experimental and comparison groups (30 students each). The experimental group received a tailored program consisting of interactive activities including “Three-Color Teeth,” “2-2-2,” “Search, Think, Choose,” “Sweet House,” “Good Teeth Patrol,” and “Tooth Defender,” implemented over 12 weeks. Data were collected before and after the intervention. Independent t-tests and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data, with results presented as mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05.

The findings revealed that, after the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly better oral health outcomes and behaviors than the comparison group across all primary variables. The experimental group had significantly lower dental plaque accumulation (Mean diff = 3.73, 95% CI: 2.90 to 4.56, p < 0.001) and significantly higher scores for dietary behavior (Mean diff = 4.37, 95% CI: 2.51 to 6.22, p < 0.001) and oral hygiene behavior (Mean diff = 4.20, 95% CI: 2.81 to 5.59, p < 0.001). Additionally, the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in health literacy related to access to information (Mean diff = 2.93, 95% CI: 0.60 to 5.27, p = 0.015) and understanding of health information (Mean diff = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.12 to 1.42, p = 0.021) compared to the comparison group. In conclusion, the health literacy promotion program effectively improved oral health behaviors and reduced dental plaque accumulation. The program demonstrated strong potential as an intervention model for promoting oral health in schools with similar settings and contexts.