Vol. 2012 No. 1 (2012)
Impact of Workplace Dental Wellness Programmes on Self-reported Oral Health Behaviors and Conditions in Urban South Africa
Abstract
Despite high rates of oral health issues in urban South Africa, workplace wellness programmes are underutilized. There is a need to evaluate their impact on employee self-reported oral health behaviors and conditions. A mixed-methods approach will be employed, including a survey to collect self-reported data on oral health behaviors and conditions (response rate expected at least 70%) and interviews with programme administrators to gather qualitative insights. Data analysis will use descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis for the qualitative component. The preliminary findings indicate that participants report an improvement in daily brushing habits, but the reduction in sugary drink consumption is less pronounced, suggesting a need for targeted interventions. This study highlights the potential of workplace dental wellness programmes to improve oral health behaviors among employees. Further research should investigate the long-term effects and cost-benefit analysis. Implementing sustainable funding mechanisms and integrating regular monitoring into existing healthcare systems are recommended to maximise programme impact. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
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