Effect of mobile- based educational program through bluetooth and whatsapp. application on the oral health values, dental literacy, and oral self-efficacy among older adults

Abstract EN

Background: With the advent of preventive dentistry and an expanded array of treatment options, the possibility of maintaining oral health throughout the life span has increased.

This interdependence between oral health and general well-being further validates the need to explore factors related to the improvement of the oral health status of community-dwelled older adults.

Essential to the process of enhancing the oral health status of this segment is the exploration of the numerous variables which must be considered in the development of mobile-based educational program.

Thus, the adequate assessment of the health values, literacy, and perception related to the performance of oral hygiene is of upmost importance.

Only then effective elder-specific oral interventions could be developed and implemented.

Aim: The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effect of mobilebased educational program through Bluetooth and WhatsApp Application on the oral health values, dental literacy, and oral self-efficacy among older adults.

Setting: The study was conducted in El-Wafaa club of elderly persons affiliated to the Ministry of Social Solidarity.

Subjects: A 67- participant, own smart phones, able to download and deal with related software applications, and capable of reading sent messages were operationalized using four specified tools.

Tools: These were (1) Developed Demographic and Oral Health Profile for the Older Adults Structured Interview Schedule, (2) Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD- short form), (3) Oral Health Values Scale (OHVS), and (4) Geriatric Self- Efficacy Scale for Oral Health (GSEOH).

Results: Initially revealed that the higher prevalence of mouth health problems was related to tooth decay (64.2%) and tooth plaque (62.7%).

Oral health problems had mostly a negative impact on satisfaction with fluids drinking and mouth appearance (40.3% each).

There was a highly statistical positive significant improvement in the older adults’ oral-related literacy, values, and efficacy post-program than before.

A strong positive significant correlation was proved between the studied variables along the whole implementing periods.

Oral health literacy was a predicting / independent factor for both SelfEfficacy and values in each period of interventions.

Conclusion: The proposed program succeeded in improving the main studied variables’ subscales with different degrees as represented by the mean percent scores, immediately after application that decreased at a 3- week follow up of mobile-based oral care implementation but still significant compared with the pre- intervention period.

Recommendations: Digital or e-health interventions to prevent or rectify oral problems of older adults should be wide-ranging and multi-faceted to be conducted via the social networks and invest in mobile health clinics.

Design a preventive program to target older adults living in Egypt, through increasing access and minimize barriers to treatment for elderly with low financial standard and collecting systematic data on oral health status as well as general medical conditions to be monitored and included in national oral health promotion plans for older adults