Classroom and garden-based oral hygiene interventions for pupils

Project title:

The Potato Teeth Project: A comparison of classroom and garden-based educational interventions for oral hygiene in primary school pupils

“The project seeks to enhance children’s oral care in a dynamic outdoors, setting, offering them and engaging experience.”

Researcher:

Project proposal:

The project proposes to investigate the relative benefits of two similar, garden-themed intervention work packages (WP) for improving the oral health of primary school pupils. Both programmes will involve the same one-hour regimen of activities, facilitated by students from the University of Roehampton (UoR), in conjunction with the Growhampton Student Union. WP1 will involve UoR students visiting local schools with garden resources to guide pupils through the activities in class, while WP2 will bring pupils (under teacher supervision) to perform the activities in situ at the campus’ garden plots.

In a 2019 global survey of 13 high-GDP countries by FDI World Dental Federation, the UK ranked last in promoting good oral health for children (FDA, 2019). Although Public Health England (2017) had published guidance on changing patients’ attitudes to oral care and toothbrushing/flossing techniques, these are generalised and do not address the commitment of children beyond the clinical setting. WP1 has already demonstrated some preliminary benefits in the latter regard through its model in the ‘Sugarless Green’ project.

WP2 is an extension of this model in a dynamic, outdoors setting, which may offer pupils a more engaging experience of oral health education.

Photo by Carlos Magno on Unsplash

Themes: