Application and effectiveness of experiential education combined with health coaching techniques in extended care for elderly patients with dental implants.

OBJECTIVE

Experiential education (EE) and health coaching techniques (HCT) were proved to be effective in health management. This study investigated the effectiveness of EE combined with HCT in extended care for elderly patients with dental implants.

METHODS

A total of 90 elderly patients who received implant restoration were randomly divided into intervention group (IG) and control group (CG). CG received standard health education. IG received EE, HCT and standard health education. Periodontal conditions of peri-implants (plaque Index, PLI; sulcus bleeding index, SBI; gingival Index, GI) were assessed at 1-, 3-, and 6-months. Oral health self-efficacy and implant survival rates after 6 months were compared between two groups.

RESULTS

No significant differences in periodontal indices were observed between groups at 1 and 3 months post-intervention. After 6 months of intervention, the experimental group showed significantly superior PLI, mSBI, and GI scores relative to the control group ( < 0.05). IG also showed an improvement in oral health self-efficacy compared to the CG ( < 0.05). The implant survival rate in the IG was higher than in the CG after 6 months, but the difference was not significant.

CONCLUSION

EE combined with HCT improves oral health self-efficacy and periodontal health in elderly patients with dental implants.