Healthy Smiles: An Investigation of Brief Online Interventions to Improve Oral Health among Young People Experiencing Psychological Distress.

Background: Young adults experiencing psychological distress are susceptible to poor oral health through a range of social, cognitive, and biological processes. However, only limited attention has been given to developing interventions to improve oral health behaviours and related factors in this population. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of two brief, online interventions (education and education with motivational interviewing components) to an active control condition.

Method: The interventions were informed by co-design and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), with TPB and related constructs measured pre, post, and one-week following the intervention. Participants were 152 young adults (aged 18-25 years) experiencing moderate or greater psychological distress.

Results: Data were analysed using linear mixed-effect modelling, focussing on within groups effects over time and between groups effects at post and follow-up timepoints. Participants in the education intervention reported significantly greater oral health knowledge at post-intervention than pre-intervention (p = .007), with gains maintained at follow-up. Some benefits were also observed for attitudes and oral health values post-intervention, across conditions. The addition of motivational interviewing components did not result in improved intervention effects.

Conclusion: Brief online interventions may be appropriate for delivery of educational interventions within this population, but increased support may be needed to improve perceptions of control and behavioural enactment.