Development and implementation of an integrated oral health and nutrition education program using community children's cafeterias: A pilot study.

Authors

Rena Hidaka, Akiko Kojo, Yuji Masuda, Shintaro Hata, Misaki Tanaka, Tona Watanabe, Koichiro Matsuo

Published in

PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 9. Pages e0357410. Epub Sep 03, 2026.

Abstract

Dental and oral health activities that promote awareness of oral health are essential in children's nutrition education. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the Comprehensive Awareness Modification of Mouth, Chewing And Meal (CAMCAM) program for kids, in which participants gather monthly to learn about oral health and nutrition while consuming a textured meal at community children's cafeterias.
This single-group pre-post pilot intervention without a control group included 52 children and 32 parents/guardians who regularly attended two community children's cafeterias in Tokyo, Japan. They participated monthly in six sessions in which they were provided a "munchy" textured meal and a 10-minute lecture on chewing, oral health, and food and nutrition. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their awareness of the subject and food intake frequency, before and after the intervention. Changes in awareness and behaviors following participation in the program were analyzed.
The median ages of the children and parents were 8.5 (6-16) and 43.0 (36-50) years, respectively. The frequency of self-observation of the oral cavity among children increased. Daily fluoride use frequency increased from 61.5% to 76.9% (p = 0.020). The number of children who reported not considering nutritional balance decreased from 63.5% to 38.5% (p = 0.022). The number of parents/guardians who actively practiced a nutritionally balanced diet non-significantly increased from 56.2% to 75.0%. Food intake frequencies for meat, dairy products, and tubers, among caregivers, and that for rice, tubers, and fruits among children increased post-intervention. The number of participants who did not consider the number of chewing cycles decreased.
Participation in CAMCAM-P for kids was associated with favorable changes in oral health awareness and attitudes toward nutritional balance among children and parents/guardians. As a pilot study without a control group, these findings should be considered preliminary. Larger controlled studies are warranted to confirm effectiveness.

PMID:
42691049
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Sep 2026.

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