Oral health education transmission from children to parents: intergenerational survey in Montpellier schools - ROS - 2018 - Tome 47 - N°2

Santé publique

Pages 92 to 102

ABSTRACT — Education always goes from parents to children or from teachers to children, whether it concerns school knowledge or health education, but the efficiency of the transmission the other way round has never been explored. The purpose of this study conducted by the Odontology university department of Montpellier was to assess the improvement of parents’ knowledge concerning the prevention of dental caries and also to highlight the process of information feedback from children to parents. 

After sending a cover letter and collecting the parents’ consent, 202 fifth-graders were selected by lot in elementary public schools (n = 108) and private schools (n = 94) in the city of Montpellier. The transmission of knowledge from children to their parents was assessed through a 20-item questionnaire. The improvement of the parents’ knowledge was compared with a control group in which the children had not benefited from the oral education program.

The scoring obtained after the intervention was significantly higher in the test group, with an improvement in half of the questionnaire items. There was no significant difference in the control group. The same results were found in public schools and in private schools. 

This investigation allowed to objectify the transmission of knowledge from children towards parents. It seems indeed that children, after following educational actions concerning oral health, are capable of communicating what they have learnt in school.