SynthesisEvidence-based dentistry2025
Effectiveness of school-based oral health education interventions on oral health status and oral hygiene behaviors among schoolchildren: an umbrella review.
Synthesis in Evidence-based dentistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Information Needs Questionnaire (ODIN-Q): Responsiveness and Insights Into Patient Education.Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology · 2026Observational
- Age-Stratified Association Between CPI Screening Categories and Caries Experience in the Permanent Dentition of Children and Adolescents from Southwest Romania: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Clinical Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Remarkable decline and sustained low levels of caries in the Nordic populations-Explanations and implications for public oral health.European journal of oral sciences · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of Motivational Dental Care Interventions for Students in Vietnam.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Sources of Oral Health Activities Among Croatian University Students-A Pilot Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Drama-based interventions for school oral health promotion among children and adolescents: a scoping review.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Comparative effectiveness of culturally adapted oral health education in rural Quechua-speaking schoolchildren: a cluster quasi-experimental study.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Behavioral change and oral health literacy among elementary students after a school-based oral health education program.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- Effect of NGO-supported oral health promotion program in improving the awareness of schoolchildren in primary schools.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of an Oral Health Curriculum in Reducing Dental Caries Increment and Improving Oral Hygiene Behavior among Schoolchildren of Ernakulam District in Kerala, India: A Cluster-randomized Trial.Contemporary clinical dentistryArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo summarize evidence of the effectiveness of school-based oral health education interventions on oral health status and oral hygiene behaviors among schoolchildren.
methodsA comprehensive search was conducted across seven databases MEDLINE Ovid, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO-APA PsycInfo, ProQuest, and CINAHL, with two independent reviewers screening titles and abstracts including full texts. Data extraction procedure and quality appraisal of this umbrella review adhered to the JBI critical appraisal checklist. Systematic reviews of RCTs in which schoolchildren of 5 to 18 years of age received oral health education in a classroom-based school setting from dentists, schoolteachers, or caregivers were included. Key outcome measures included distinct oral health indices, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
resultsA total of 27 relevant systematic reviews were included for the umbrella review. Methodological quality was substantial among most systematic reviews, thus enhancing the strength of reliability of findings. Nineteen were graded excellent (scores 30 to 33), four were classified as good quality (scores 26 to 29), four rated as fair quality (scores 21 to 25) and none rated as poor-quality (scores 20 or below). Numerous studies from various nations were identified, with reviews peaking in 2019 and 2021. The overlap assessment reveals slight degree of overlap (3.73% overlap, -0.45% CCA-corrected covered area). Meta-analyses show that oral health education interventions had a favorable impact on a number of outcomes, such as reduced plaque and gingivitis, enhanced knowledge, attitude, and behavior, and improved oral cleanliness. CONCLUSION(S): This umbrella review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the effectiveness of oral health education interventions in school settings. Positive outcomes in plaque reduction and gingivitis prevention affirm the benefits of these programs, though the evidence for caries prevention remains inconclusive. The findings highlight the broader impact of these interventions on students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches and further research to optimize oral health education. This review serves as a valuable resource for educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers dedicated to improving pediatric oral health. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023401903.
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Registered trials
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