Jarvie Journal - College of Dental Medicine - Columbia University

The Journal of the William Jarvie Society
The Effectiveness of an Interactive Oral Health Promotion Video in a
Pediatric Clinic Waiting Room
Jeffrey Fong 1 , Courtney H. Chinn 2*
1 Columbia-New York Presbyterian Hospital, Residency Program in Pediatric Dentistry, 2 Section of Social &
Behavioral Sciences; both within Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New York, NY; * Faculty
Mentor
Introduction: Patient waiting rooms can be an effective setting for delivering health information.
Several studies performed in emergency department waiting rooms have shown improvements in
knowledge after watching a health education video. Despite a wealth of education materials, there is
little research on the efficacy of audio-visual materials in educating parents on pediatric oral health
(“POH”). Several studies have questioned the value of POH handouts and videos versus motivational
interviewing (“MI”). Harrison et al. (2007) showed a 46% lower rate in dmfs after 2 years in a MI group
versus a group of parents who were given a POH pamphlet and video.
Objective: To determine if a bilingual interactive oral health promotion video (“IOHPV”) will
significantly improve parents’ knowledge and attitudes regarding POH.
Materials & Methods: Over 4 months, an IOHPV and control (Disney video) was shown on alternating
months in the pediatric medical clinic waiting room at NY Presbyterian Hospital’s Audobon Primary
Care Practice. During this time, parents of pediatric patients presenting for medical care completed a
questionnaire, which included questions on demographics, knowledge (total of 10 questions on age 1
visit, fluoride, toothbrushing, nutrition, and caries management) and attitudes about POH. Data was
analyzed using a commercial software package (PASW).
Results & Conclusions: 155 subjects (57%) and 115 controls (43%) participated in the study (N = 270).
70% (N = 188) of subjects were Hispanic and 57% (N = 154) mainly spoke Spanish. 46% (N = 123) of
parents reported their child saw the dentist within the last year. Overall, parents correctly answered 57%
of POH knowledge questions. No significant differences in mean knowledge or attitude scores were
found between subjects watching the IOHPV and the control, nor was there a difference by race of
parent or age of patient. However, there was a significant difference in total knowledge score by report
of dental visit with parents who took their child to see a dentist within the last year scoring significantly
higher compared to those who did not.
Discussion: The IOHPV was specifically designed to engage parents that presented to the pediatric
medical clinic in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. However, results show that
parents who saw the control video had higher knowledge scores than those who saw the IOHPV. One
consideration was the operational design of the waiting room which may have impeded parents from
watching and hearing the IOHPV. The waiting room was large, busy and loud. Parents may have been
occupied with their child(ren) and not all chairs were facing one of the two televisions. An encouraging
finding was that parents who took their child to the dentist in the last year scored significantly higher
than parents who did not. Engaging with a dental professional may continue to play a vital role in
improving parental POH knowledge.
Research supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau:
Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry Grant T17MC06359
Post-doctoral Training in Pediatric Dentistry Grant D88HP20109
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