Video-Assisted Teaching for Teen Oral Hygiene

Abstract Background: Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial for adolescent general health. Video-assisted teaching has shown promise in enhancing children’s oral health knowledge compared to traditional methods. This study evaluated whether a video program could improve knowledge and attitudes toward oral hygiene among adolescents in Delhi National Capital Region. Materials and Methods: Using a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design, 74 adolescents from Dev Public School, Najafgarh (Delhi NCR), were purposively sampled. A structured questionnaire measured oral hygiene knowledge and attitude before and after a video-assisted teaching session. Scores were compared pre- and post-intervention, with demographic factors examined for associations. Results: Post-intervention, significant improvements were observed in both knowledge and attitude scores among the participants. The mean knowledge score increased from 10.77 ± 3.61 to 13.71 ± 3.35 ( P < 0.05), with the proportion of students demonstrating “good” knowledge rising to 59.45% from a predominantly average or poor baseline. Similarly, the attitude score improved from 23.27 ± 7.74 to 26.25 ± 6.09 ( P < 0.05), with the percentage of participants showing a positive attitude increasing from 40.55% to 75.67%. Additionally, age showed a significant positive correlation with posttest knowledge scores. These findings are consistent with previous research that reported statistically significant gains in oral hygiene knowledge among children following video-assisted education. Conclusion: Video-assisted teaching significantly enhanced adolescent students’ oral hygiene knowledge and attitude in a Delhi NCR school setting. This method offers an engaging, scalable, and cost-effective educational strategy that aligns with evidence showing its greater retention and behavior change potential than traditional lectures. Future efforts should incorporate age-appropriate, culturally relevant video content, periodic reinforcement, and follow-ups to assess long-term behavioral impact and broader applicability across varied demographic contexts.