The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of different oral health education (OHE) programs
in late elementary school students in Bangkok. One hundred and fifty-four students were divided into 3 groups:
Group 1 was instructed OHE by school health teacher, Group 2 was instructed OHE by school health teacher in
combination with peer modeling activities, Group 3 served as a control group which did not receive any interventions.The teacher used OHE instructor guide which comprised of dental caries, gingivitis, and tooth cleaning technique.
Peer models served as a model and motivated other students to brush their teeth during the lunch break. Knowledge
scores and plaque scores were assessed in all students before OHE program and 3 months afterward. The knowledge
was evaluated by multiple choice questions while plaque level was detected by erythrosine dye and measured
with soft debris index. The results indicated that post-test knowledge scores increased statistically significant in both
OHE groups (p<0.001) when compared with pre-test knowledge scores and the control group (p<0.001). However,
there is no statistically significant difference between both OHE groups. Plaque scores decreased statistically significant
only in peer group when compared with baseline (p<0.001). The results suggested that OHE by school health
teacher was not enough in term of changing tooth brushing behavior when using plaque scores as an indicator. The
participation of peer models in OHE program increased the effectiveness of OHE in school.