SynthesisBMC oral health2025
Health promotion theory-based educational interventions for improving oral health in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC oral health, 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
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Health Literacy and Oral Health Behaviors Among Dental Medicine Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Feasibility assessment of integrated oral health care pathways designed for pediatric and adult patients referred to School of Dentistry.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Measuring Digital Oral Health Literacy in the Social Media Era: Psychometric Validation of the Romanian Version of the Social Media Oral Health Literacy Questionnaire (SMOHLQ).Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Building Oral Health Literacy in Adolescence: A Qualitative Exploration of Knowledge and Behaviours in Spain.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Assessment of Pregnant Women's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Habits Regarding Oral Health: Development and Validation of a Measurement Instrument.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Improving the participation of 3-14 aged children's parents in fluoride varnish program: a quasi-experimental study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Association of health-promoting behaviors with oral health status among Turkish dental students: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Knowledge-attitude-practice of pneumoconiosis prevention and control among Chinese university students: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of an Interactive School-Based Oral Health Educational Program on Periodontal Status Among Palestinian Adolescents: An Intervention Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Impact of a Novel Oral Health Tracker cum Motivator Versus Conventional Education on Oral Health Behavior Among 10- to 15-Year-Old School Children in Lucknow: A Single-Blinded, Parallel Design-A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community DentistryArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOral health is a crucial component of overall well-being, particularly in childhood and adolescence when lifetime habits are established. Health education and theory-Based health promotion interventions can enhance oral health outcomes more effectively than traditional knowledge-transfer methods.
objectiveThe present systematic review and meta-analysis were performed with the objective of assessing the effectiveness of theory-Based health education and promotion interventions in impacting oral health outcomes among children and adolescents.
methodsBased on PRISMA and PROSPERO registration, the systematic search in seven databases was performed up to March 2025. Only RCTs involving participants aged 5 to 18 years old and with use of theoretical models like the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, or Social Cognitive Theory were taken into account. Primary outcomes included oral health behavior, knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and clinical indicators like dental plaque, periodontal status, and DMFT. The data were combined through random-effects meta-analysis, and risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool.
resultsNineteen RCTs were included. Interventions had a significant boost in self-efficacy (SMD = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.99,2.00), oral health-related quality of life (SMD = 7.38, 95% CI: 5.57,9.19), knowledge (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.80,1.39), attitudes (SMD = 9.32, 95% CI: 7.08,11.55), and behavior (SMD = 2.58, 95% CI: 2.03,3.12). Significant declines in dental plaque (SMD = -1.92, 95% CI: -2.42,-1.42) and periodontal health (SMD = -1.18, 95% CI: -1.83,-0.53) but not in DMFT scores (SMD = -0.11, 95% CI: -0.27,0.04) also occurred. High heterogeneity and small sample of evidence of publication bias were detected.
conclusionsTheory-Based health education and promotion interventions are effective in enhancing oral health outcomes across a wide range of outcomes in children and adolescents. Future research should have long-term follow-up, standardization of outcomes measures, fidelity of intervention, economic evaluations, and equitable provision across diverse populations. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
trial registrationThis systematic review has been registered prospectively in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) with registration number CRD420251026862.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.