Abstract
Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an incremental school-based oral health care program supplied to Songjung primary school children in Gwangju city from 1999 to 2003. This program included oral health education, pit and fissure sealing, fluoride mouth rinsing and professional tooth brushing. Methods: The dental surveys were carried out on 174 first grade children, 113 second grade children and 105 fifth grade children, as a control group in 1999. Some types of primary preventive regimens and the degree of oral health promotion for permanent dentition were calculated from the data of the dental caries parameters. Results and Conclusions: The DMF rate of the IOHqIncremental oral health care) group was 61.90%, which was 80.0% of control group(p < 0.005). The DMFT rate of the IOHC group was 6.35%, which was 12.13% of the control group(p < 0.005). The DMFT index of the IOHC group was 1.46, which was 2.79 of the control group(p < 0.001). The FT rate of the IOHC group increased 58.08% compared with the 19.44% in the control group(p < 0.001). The DT rate of the IOHC group was 41.91 % compared with the 80.56% of increase in the control group(p < 0.001).