Childhood oral diseases affect well-being and development, often linked to poor diet, limited knowledge, and inadequate hygiene. Despite widespread behaviour-based interventions, their effectiveness remains inconsistent. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impact of these interventions on children’s oral health knowledge, behaviours, and clinical outcomes. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we included quasi-experimental studies (pretest/posttest designs, often without control groups). Articles were retrieved from five databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger’s test. Study quality was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies. A total of 44 studies were included. Significant improvements were observed in oral health knowledge (SMD = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.54-2.42), oral health behaviours (SMD = 1.52; 0.87-2.17), plaque index (SMD = –1.34; –1.72 to –0.96), gingival index (SMD = –1.39; –2.12 to –0.65), oral hygiene index-simplified (SMD = –1.18; –1.65 to –0.71), and debris index (SMD = –1.38; –1.97 to –0.80), all indicating large effect sizes. No significant improvement was found for the calculus index (SMD = –0.15; –0.50 to 0.21). The results of this study highlight the positive impact of interventions in promoting good oral health practices and preventing the early onset of oral diseases. However, no significant effect was found on the calculus index, suggesting that the impact of these interventions on calculus accumulation remains uncertain and may require further investigation or additional strategies, such as professional dental care. This meta-analysis provides evidence that behaviour-based interventions can effectively improve children’s oral health knowledge and hygiene practices, supporting their role in early prevention programs. However, additional professional care may be necessary to control calculus accumulation.
Fathaniard et al. (2026) studied this question.