Aim. To test the efficiency and acceptance of school-based dental education for improving oral self-care in Mexican elementary school-aged children. Method. A total of 408 students from 4 schools were examined at the baseline, 3 months (follow-up rate was 94%) and 6 months observations (follow-up rate 91%). Group 1 served as a control, Group 2 received a lecture-based education, and Group 3 consisted of trained peer-leaders who educated their peers. Oral self-care practice and oral self-care skills were assessed at the baseline and both follow-ups. A number of sociodemographic and oral health behavior/knowledge characteristics were tested as predictors of oral self-care outcomes at different observation periods. Results. Oral self-care outcomes improved in Groups 2 and 3, but not in the control group. The selected child population, their caregivers and teachers perceived the school-based educational strategy as important and necessary. There was no consistent pattern of predictors explaining variations in oral self-care outcomes at any of the observation periods. Oral self-care improvement observed at the 6 months observation was mainly predicted by the baseline oral self-care levels, dental education, and age. Conclusions. The school-based dental education was easy to implement, and it was effective for improving children's oral self-care practice and skills.
Keywords: community health workers; coordinated school health programs; health education; lay health advisors; oral health; program planning and evaluation; quantitative evaluation; school health.