Oral Health: Campaigns & Promotions
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- Background on Campaigns & Promotions
- Evidence on Campaigns & Promotions
- Example Campaigns & Promotions
- Action Steps to Create and Implement Campaigns & Promotions
- Tools and Resources for Campaigns & Promotions
- Evaluation of Campaigns & Promotions
Campaigns and promotions are intervention tools to educate the public about oral diseases and conditions and to promote oral health (brushing teeth, using fluoride, flossing, visiting dentist regularly, avoiding tobacco, minimizing use of sugar and alcohol, getting oral cancer screening, using protective head and mouth gear during athletic events) in your community. This can occur through television and radio advertisements, newspapers, posters, billboards, signs, brochures, clothing, stickers, and a number of other communication channels. Using specific oral health messages, campaigns and promotions can increase awareness of potential health risks (e.g., oral cancer, cavities, gum disease), highlight the association with other health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, pre-term or low-weight births, osteoporosis), promote behavior changes to reduce the risk of oral diseases and conditions (e.g., brushing and flossing), improve knowledge and skills related to benefits and challenges of proper dental care habits (e.g., visiting dentist on a regular basis), and change community norms (e.g., wearing protective head and mouth gear, avoiding tobacco use, reducing sugar and alcohol intake).
Campaigns and promotions are particularly useful in creating community awareness about the importance of oral health promotion to overall health and quality of life. Increasing knowledge and awareness is often the first step to supporting behavior change (e.g., selecting toothbrushes and toothpaste, using fluoride). Therefore, campaigns and promotions may be particularly useful in helping individuals become ready to change their behavior. Oral health messages work best when they are specific, easily understood, address when and how to care for teeth and gums, and recommend regular contact with oral health professionals. Campaigns and promotions may be used alone to increase knowledge and awareness or may be part of other intervention approaches to enhance behavior change.
It is helpful to work with different community partners (e.g., media or communications experts, community members, local businesses) to determine the most appropriate messages and ways to communicate those messages. The messages may be intended for an entire community or they can be tailored to meet the needs or interests of a particular group. For example, the message may be geared toward young people (e.g., having an attractive smile, eliminating bad breath) or mothers (e.g., reducing sugar intake, using a cup instead of a bottle). Alternately, messages may be conveyed in different languages and address cultural norms in different communities (e.g., Spanish, Vietnamese). Messages are often most effective if they are geared toward specific changes in knowledge, attitudes, or beliefs about oral health that are particularly salient for the group of interest. For example, parents may be particularly motivated to do everything they can to protect the health of their children. Previous work also suggests the importance of framing messages positively rather than negatively (i.e., highlighting the benefits of regular brushing rather than the consequences of not brushing).
Oral health campaigns and promotions include different types of mass media campaigns. These intervention tools are designed to increase knowledge and awareness about the relationship between dental care habits and health; how dental care can improve appearance; the importance of reducing sugar, alcohol and tobacco use; and the importance of avoiding oral cancer and damage to the teeth (e.g., using cups rather than bottles, wearing protective head and mouth gear).
Mass media campaigns translate what are often complicated oral health messages into specific, easily understood, messages. One of the most important lessons learned from previous work is the importance of using consistent messages across a variety of media channels (e.g., print, television, radio). Mass media campaigns can provide messages about a specific change in oral health care habits (e.g., brushing, flossing, using fluoride) or provide more general recommendations (e.g., visit a oral health professional on a regular basis). As described above, the campaign can be used to raise awareness, provide information, or change attitudes and community norms. Media campaigns may be used alone or may be part of other intervention approaches. For example, a media campaign may be created so that the media messages aired on local teen stations support the classroom curriculum that is promoting healthy smiles and appearances.
To develop your campaign or promotional intervention, you may need to work with dental offices, pharmacies, WIC clinic sites, senior centers or independent living facilities, civic or community organizations (Head Start, Girl Scouts, YMCA), coalitions, schools, athletic facilities and clubs, worksites, health departments, grocery stores, neighborhoods, metropolitan centers, media personnel, advertising agencies, researchers, celebrities, professional models, county officials or community leaders, government agencies, community members, and TV and radio personnel.