Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on March 7, 2008
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2008 43(3):347-350; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agn009
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Improvement of knowledge, attitude, and behavior about oral health in a population of alcohol addicted persons
1 Chair of Hygiene, Infectious Diseases and Public Health Institute, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
2 School of Dental Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Chair of Hygiene, Infectious Diseases and Public Health Institute, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Tronto 10/A – 60100 Ancona, Italy. Tel.: +39 0712206030; Fax: +39 0712206032; E-mail: e.prospero{at}univpm.it
Received 29 October 2007; in revised form 7 December 2007; in revised form 4 January 2008; accepted 18 January 2008
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Abstract |
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Aims: To improve knowledge, attitude, and behavior about oral health and oral cancer prevention in a population of alcohol-addicted persons involved in a residential rehabilitation program in Italy. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to obtain socioeconomic and oral risk factors data, and a complete dental examination was performed. A lecture on oral health risk factors and healthy behaviors was delivered. A pre–post test questionnaire was used to assess the short-term effectiveness of the intervention. Long-term effectiveness was assessed by a follow-up interview at 1 year from the intervention. The independent effect of several covariates on oral health at baseline and on the outcome of the intervention was evaluated. Results: Seventy-six individuals from the residential alcohol rehabilitation program participated in our study. About half had been addicted to alcohol for more than 10 years; 81.6% smoked at the time of survey; 31.0% declared that they never used toothbrushes or that they brushed less than once/day. We found an improvement of 25.0% in exact answers between the pre–post test questionnaire. At 1 year from the intervention, the 42 participants who reached follow up showed a great improvement in knowledge and attitude towards oral health. In particular, toothbrushing had become a daily routine after every meal for 67.1% of participants. Conclusions: Education of alcohol-dependent individuals in a rehabilitation setting may contribute to their attention to oral health and willingness to change habits.