Improvement of knowledge, attitude, and behavior about oral health in a population of alcohol addicted persons

Aims: To improve knowledge, attitude and behaviour about oral health and oral cancer prevention in a population of alcohol-addicted persons involved in a residential rehabilitation programme in Italy. Methods: A questionnaire was administered in order to gain socio-economic and oral risk factors data, and a complete dental examination was performed. A lecture dealing with oral health risk factors and healthy behaviours was performed. 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 one year of distance from the intervention. The independent effect of several covariates on oral health at baseline and on the outcome of the intervention was evaluated. Results: 76 individuals in residential alcohol rehabilitation participated.. 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 registered an improvement of 25.0% in exact answers between the pre-post test questionnaire. At one year of distance from the intervention, the 42 participants reached at follow up showed a great improvement in knowledge and attitude towards oral health. In particular, tooth brushing 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 their oral health and willingness to change habits.