The Impact of Oral Health Training on the Early Year’s Workforce Knowledge,Skills and Behaviours in Delivering Oral Health Advice: A Systematic Review

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of training the early year’s workforce on their knowledge, skills and/or behaviours in delivering oral health advice. Methods: Four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus were searched to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health training on knowledge, skills and behaviour of the early year’s workforce with a minimum of one-month follow-up. Randomised or quasi-randomised trials and before and after studies were included. Results: All six included studies showed improved knowledge and one of the five studies showed significant changes in behaviours of participants post oral health training. None of the included studies addressed changes in skills as an outcome. Conclusion: This systematic review found evidence that oral health training of the early year’s workforce is effective in improving their knowledge but not necessarily their behaviours delivering oral health advice. Although training of the wider workforce on oral health is recommended, high quality research is required with longitudinal follow-up to assess changes in behaviours and ultimately impacts on oral health.