Developing and Evaluating a Health Belief Model-based Educational Program on Oral Hygiene Behaviors among Child-wanting Women in Mehriz, Yazd

Oral changes during pregnancy can lead to serious complications if left untreated. Pregnancy is a good time to educate women. Health Belief Model (HBM) is one of the best models for disease prevention. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of developing and evaluating a a HBM-based educational program on oral hygiene behaviors among child-wanting women in Mehriz, Yazd In this experimental study, 164 child-wanting women referring to health care centers were selected by convenience random sampling. Data collection instrument was a valid and reliable questionnaire based on the HBM constructs. Two months after presenting the educational program developed based on pre-test data to the intervention group, the data were collected and analyzed by inferential and descriptive statistics. Participants attained 55.61% of maximum possible score. Dental plaque index was 15.41 ± 3.20. The HBM constructs predicted 12.4% of behavioral variance. After the educational intervention, all HBM constructs, except for perceived barriers, significantly increased. The dental plaque index decreased to 13.98 ± 3.45 after intervention. Women’s dental plaque index and their oral health behaviors were not optimal but improved after the implementation of the educational program. The use of this model is recommended for the promotion of oral hygiene in women.