A survey of preschool oral health education programs.

The purpose of this survey was to determine how frequently various components of oral health education were included in 27 preschool oral health education programs and to compare the frequencies and the various combinations of components. The results of this survey indicate that the most significant problems relate to inadequate program design and evaluation. Goals, behavioral objectives, program content, media, evaluation measures, and parent and teacher involvement need to be more specifically and thoroughly designed and evaluated. The primary problem with program content was the lack of emphasis on education about the benefits of fluoride. Because of inconsistent and incomplete reporting of programs, judgments of the quality and effectiveness of the components in the 27 programs were not made.