Community Health Project- Linked In
- 1. Smiles for Special Needs CAITLIN BUHLER B08, JULIA RICKS B46, JESSICAH STARKE B52
- 2. Introduction Many young mentally disabled children struggle with understanding the basics of oral hygiene and its importance. Their lack of comprehension reflects poorly on their oral care and those with special needs may be at higher risk for periodontal diseases. The end goal of this project is to educate and improve the knowledge of special needs children to help them implement their new understanding of proper oral hygiene throughout adulthood.
- 4. Mission Statement To improve the oral hygiene education of special needs children in Utah.
- 5. Assessment Problem “Individuals with special health care needs have been reported in literature to have poorer oral hygiene and periodontal status, more untreated caries and fewer remaining teeth.” (Oredugba, 2008). Needs Assessment Special needs children are at high risk for caries and periodontal diseases. They need to be very on top of their oral care. Giving kids the education they need to create a stable oral environment is proven to be the best way to implement long life habits. Having those good habits is what will decrease the risk of caries in special needs kids
- 6. Assessment Demographics All attend Thunder Ridge Elementary School located in Lehi, Utah Taught 3 special education classes with a total of 30 students grades kindergarten to 6th grade All have non-fluoridated tap water Facility The oral health education project was presented at Thunder Ridge Elementary School located in Lehi, Utah. It took place on Friday 18, 2016 at 12:00 pm in a special auditorium with stadium seating located in the school itself.
- 7. Resources and Funding UCDH provided 2 stuffed animal typodonts 30 pediatric toothbrushes and 5 adult toothbrushes donated from Colgate The auditorium and projector was provided by Thunder Ridge Elementary school. Student’s personal computer to present the PowerPoint and videos. Funding was provided by Caitlin Buhler, Julia Ricks, and Jessicah Starke. The total contribution was fifteen dollars. Each student paid 5 dollars to pay for gas and traveling expenses. The typodonts, toothbrushes, and toothpaste were all free.
- 8. Data Analysis Females Male Total
- 10. Data Analysis
- 11. Planning Goal: Increase oral health knowledge for elementary- aged special needs children at Thunder Ridge elementary school in Lehi, Utah. Objectives: 1.1 Increase knowledge on proper brushing technique, frequency and duration 1.2 Increase knowledge on the importance of and how often to visit the dentist and hygienist 1.3 Increase knowledge on the importance of and proper way to clean your tongue
- 12. Lesson Plan Pretest Informational video Class discussion Hands on activities Post test
- 13. Pre/Post Test Question 1- How many of you know what this is? Question 2-There are two types of brushes, hard and soft, which of the two should you use?
- 14. Question 3- How many of you have been to the dentist? Question 4- How many times a year should you visit the dentist?
- 15. Question 5-How many times a day should you brush? Question 6-For how many minutes should you brush?
- 16. Question 7-How many of you know what this is?
- 18. Constraints/Modifications The project had multiple constraints and modifications mainly due to the audience. Having to manage and hold the attention span of thirty different children with special needs was a huge challenge. There was poor communication with the teacher before the presentation which gave the dental hygiene students very limited and blind expectations. Many modifications were made to facilitate comprehension to the students which have a harder time grasping basic concepts. The students simplified the pre/post questions and it was done in a very informal way by a show of hands. Evaluating the project was more difficult because there were two students who were not able to participate based on the severity of their condition. Also, it was almost impossible to assess what exactly was comprehended by each student individually because they each differed in their severity of different illnesses
- 19. Implementation Formative Evaluation When the dental hygiene students arrived to Thunder Ridge they were unaware of just how severely handicap the children were. They made their best assumption when preparing the presentation by making it short and simple with easy to read words and colorful pictures. When the PowerPoint was presented, it worked out great. They loved the short videos and pictures that were demonstrated. The teachers present understood the questions and were able to assist the students who needed extra help and attention. Another part of the project that went unexpected was the timing. The overall presentation lasted about 15 minutes when we wanted it to last around 30 minutes because of the limited attention span of the children. They had lost focus after five minutes into the presentation. Due to the difficult condition of the special needs students, the 15-minute presentation was perfect for their level of understanding.
- 20. Timeline 3/1/16 Create mission statement, goals, objectives and contact facilities 3/3/16 Schedule facility 3/5/16 Order supplies 3/14/16 Plan education component presentation 3/15/16 Create pilot test 3/16/16 Have pilot test evaluated by Professor Pierce 3/17/16 Give test to special needs student 3/18/16 Give presentation 3/19/16 Evaluate process/compliance 3/20/16 Collect and analyze results/data 3/21/16 Write full reports 3/22/16 Full plan implementation
- 21. Evaluation Overall the program was a success with the post-test results showing that 90% of the students answered the questions correctly and comprehended the lesson. The planning and implementation went very smoothly even though the dental hygiene students encountered problems with the students attention span. The most effective portion of the presentation was when the puppet animal typodonts were used.
- 22. Conclusion Overall, the project was beneficial to the students at Thunder Ridge Elementary School. Based on the data collected from the post-test, the students grasped a basic understanding of the material taught to them. The results from the post test clearly demonstrated that the majority of students increased their oral hygiene knowledge with 90% of them answering all post-test questions correctly, allowing the researchers to reject the null hypothesis.
- 23. References Dental Health Care for Children With Special Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral- health/conditions/developmental-disabilities/article/sw- 281474979294523 Michelson, K. (n.d.). Complete Health Indicator Report of Dental Caries Experience: Children Aged 6-9. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from https://ibis.health.utah.gov/indicator/complete_profile/DenCarEx pChi6_8.html Oredugba, F. A., & Akindayomi, Y. (2008). Oral health status and treatment needs of children and young adults attending a day centre for individuals with special health care needs. BMC Oral Health, 8(1), 30. Rong, W. S., Bian, J. Y., Wang, W. J., & Wang, J. D. (2003). Effectiveness of an oral health education and caries prevention program in kindergartens in China. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology,31(6), 412-416.