Effectiveness of a community health worker program on oral health promotion

• Autor(a) principal: Frazão, Paulo
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Marques, Débora
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rsp/article/view/32622
• topic: Redes Comunitárias; Saúde Bucal; Odontologia Comunitária; Serviços de Saúde Comunitária; Conhecimentos^i1^sAtitudes e Prática em Sa; Redes Comunitarias; Salud Bucal; Odontología Comunitaria; Servicios de Salud Comunitaria; Conocimientos^i3^sActitudes y Práctica en Sa; Community Networks; Oral Health; Community Dentistry; Community Health Services; Health Knowledge^i2^sAttitudes; Pract

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes of knowledge and attitudes and health service access and utilization after the implementation of a community health worker program for oral health promotion. METHODS: A capacity building project including learning, support, and supervision activities was developed between July 2003 and August 2004. A study to assess changes was conducted including 36 community health workers and a representative sample of homemaker literate women and mothers aged 25 to 39 years living in 3- to 6-room dwelling in the city of Rio Grande da Serra, Southeastern Brazil. Data on oral health knowledge, self-reported practices, and personal skills regarding self-examination, oral hygiene, number of people living in the same household, number of individual and collective toothbrushes, and dental service access and utilization were collected using structured interviews. Mean scores measured pre- and post-intervention program were compared for each group studied using Student's t-test. A 5% significance level was set for the analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between pre- and post-intervention program were seen regarding oral health knowledge among both health workers and women (p